A review by kitsuneheart
The Rooster Crows: A Book of American Rhymes and Jingles by Maud Petersham, Miska Petersham

2.0

You can tell it's a 1960's book because there's dozens of children and not a non-white child to be seen. I know that, at the time of publishing, there probably would have been MORE controversy if there was a mixing of races in this book, but in the modern day, for a modern purchase, you don't get that excuse. No, not every book has to be a rainbow of diversity, but this many people who are only white would raise some eyebrows.

And the thing is, nothing in this book is copyrighted. A new illustrator could remake the contents, just switching things around and getting a few more updated rhymes (I know several of these rhymes varied from what I learned as a child), and make a pretty good book. It might not catch the attention of the Caldecott committee, but it would still be a great resource to kids coming up with schoolyard chants.

If ensuring diversity in your child's media is important, this book is a pass.