May There Always Be Sunshine

May There Always Be Sunshine

by Jim Gill
Illustration by Susie Signorino-Richards

The illustrations in Jim Gill's picture book capture the beauty and simplicity of this traditional Russian folk song. This book and CD combination was created not only to be read and sung together, but also to promote children's bookmaking. Jim creates songs that combine clever word play and movement opportunities to keep children jumping and dancing as they are rhyming along.  This book/CD won the 2002 Book Award from the Philadelphia's Children's Museum.

"May there always be sunshine. May there always be blue skies. May there always be Mama. May there always be me." The first four lines of May There Always Be Sunshine are from a traditional Russian Folk song of the same title; the rest of the book consists of thoughts that children have shared with author and award-winning children's performer Jim Gill over the years regarding things they hope will 'always be'. Gill features different versions of the song May There Always Be Sunshine in two of his albums, all of his live performances, and at the end of each of his classes. In book form for the first time, May There Always Be Sunshine is the winner of the 2002 Book Award from Philadelphia's Please Touch Museum. The pictures are oil on canvas, perfectly emulating the joyful simplicity of the words and song; the brush strokes are visible, the lines are not perfect, and beautiful bright colors contrast the white backgrounds. The pictures speak for themselves and only a single line of bold black print lines the bottom of each page. If you don't own a Jim Gill CD with this song on it (get one, you won't regret it!), the sheet music for the melody is also printed in the first page of the book to supply the tune.

Gill wrote that he created this book "with the hope that parents and teachers might help young children create their own books based on this simple and beautiful song." This book can be different each time you read it, as the main idea behind it is that everyone's ideas are legitimate and worthy of attention and consideration. Encourage your little one to really open up and share what they want to 'always be' in the world, and then sing the song or read the book with their new verses added. If they have trouble getting started, the final page of the book is filled with additional ideas children have given Gill. You can also hum the tune for your child until they have it down pat, and then have one of you hum while the other fills in the words. Or you could surprise them by filling in their name, or the name of someone in your family, in a 'surprise' verse at the end. Children love it when their names are included in songs!

My three-year-old friend, Sam, loved flipping through the book. After he listened to this song on one of his Jim Gill CDs a few times and had memorized the tune, he actually turned it off and sung it for me as he flipped the pages. He can't read, but the words are the same line each time with just one word changed, so he understood the concept behind it. I asked Sam what he wishes there would always be in the world and he came back with, "dinosaurs, dogs, spaghetti, Legos, and orange juice." It's always nice to know what your friends hold dearest.

--Audra

Jim Gill is a musician, author, and trained child development specialist with a Master's degree from the Erikson Institute of Chicago.Gill's focus is on promoting active play between adults and children. He developed his unique approach of combining word play and movement opportunities into songs through the twenty years spent directing weekly programs in music play for families with children with special needs in the Chicago area. He now presents "concerts of music and play" to children and families throughout the country at theaters, libraries and schools. Jim also speaks to early childhood educators and children's librarians about the many benefits of play in young children's lives.

Jim has produced five recordings of music play activities that have received awards from both the American Library Association and the Parents' Choice Foundation. He has also created a program of "Symphonic Music Play," new works for children accompanied by a full symphony orchestra. Jim's work with symphony orchestras inspired his latest picture book for children, A Soup Opera. Jim is also the author of May There Always Be Sunshine, a picture book that received the 2002 Book Award from the Philadelphia Children's Museum.