Oranges and lemons, dancing sausages, little kittens, ducks and turtles; golden slumbers, lullabies and Irish eyes –
they’re all here, and plenty more.

A wonderful collection of nursery rhymes to treasure, songs and poems to share, gathered by Sarah Webb and with joyful illustrations by Paul Delaney that jump off every page.

Enjoy childhood favourites like ‘Old Mother Hubbard’ and ‘Sing a Song of Sixpence’, classic ditties like ‘When Irish Eyes Are Smiling’ and ‘Skip to My Lou’, and funny rhymes like ‘I Made You Look’ and ‘Hot Dog’ that will cheer up any bedtime, as well as magical verses for children written by Spike Milligan and Gordon Snell and a beautiful lullaby by singer-songwriter Lisa O’Neill.

This jaunty, lavish book, lovingly illustrated by Paul Delaney, is a cornucopia of silliness and sentiment. Composed to a significant degree of items that are the common inheritance of our culture, it also contains nursery rhymes, nonsense poems and song lyrics from specific authors, from Longfellow to Lisa O’Neill. Throughout the books pages the three Rs likely to captivate young children are evident - rhyme, rhythm and repetition. As the subtitle suggests, there is often a keenly Irish flavour to proceedings, partly, as mentioned in the book’s introduction, due to material from the National Folklore Collection – rhymes from schoolchildren dating back to the 1930s. Whilst there is certainly some (to this reviewer) novel verse included, there are also many abundantly familiar inclusions. When Irish Eyes Are Smiling or Jingle Bells may be common coin to us jaded grown-ups, but who’s to say they won’t be full of strangeness and wonder to the average two year old? Delaney’s colourfully schematic illustrations are a pleasure to behold, and constitute a large part of the books cosy, daft and sometimes antiquated charm. There is enough material here for countless bedtimes, and, bar the odd decapitation or threat of mortal gluttony, plenty to give little ones the sweetest of dreams!

this jaunty, lavish book is a cornucopia of silliness and sentiment … with a keenly Irish flavour due to material from the National Folklore Collection. There is enough material for countless bedtimes

Combining modern verses, familiar refrains, school-yard rhymes and material from the National Folklore collection, Webb and Delaney’s selection of poems from an Irish childhood will provide a trip down memory lane for older readers and a new exposure to the fun of rhyme for younger readers. A collection that can be re-visited time and time again, traversing seasons, landscapes and ending with a sweet goodnight

Colourful & gorgeous, & has so many rhymes I'd forgotten, & those new to me from the National Folklore Collection

includes beloved classics … adding sparkle and joy to bedtime

there is a wealth of story wrapped up in all manner of forms in this charming collection that would make the perfect bedtime accompaniment for many

There is no better Christmas gift you can give a young reader than time spent reading with them in front of the fire on a cold winter's day, and poetry anthologies can be perfect companions. Sarah Webb has brought together a lovely selection of rhymes from an Irish childhood in I See the Moon and the Moon Sees Me, from skipping favourites to traditional Irish songs, seasonal specialties and lilting lullabies, with Delaney's boxy illustrations providing a nice visual focus

Perfect bedtime reading

Webb's latest collection of childhood rhymes then, is an eclectic mix reflecting a diverse range of historical and societal influences, from the Scottish ‘Aiken Drum' and Doctor Foster's ill-fated trip to Gloucester to Spike Milligan's 'On the Ning Nang Nong' and American-composed song ‘When Irish Eyes are Smiling'. Drawing on the National Folklore Collection's Schools Collection and including ‘The Dublin Street Boys' and ‘Aon, do, tri, luichini istigh sa tui’, there's something old, new, or borrowed here for everyone

Sarah Webb is a children's writer from Dublin. She won Irish Book Awards for Blazing a Trail: Irish Women Who Changed the World (with Lauren O'Neill) and A Sailor Went to Sea, Sea, Sea (with Steve McCarthy). She was awarded the CBI Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children's Books in Ireland.

Paul Delaney is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Cork. He likes to make art that is bold, graphic, sweet and good natured, topped with a healthy sprinkling of anarchy.