If you're like me, you can often start off with the words to a song only to descend into la-la-ing after the first verse – or may be even sooner.
That is no longer the case as we now have a copy of Hook, Line & Singer, a collection of 125 popular songs for all the family made by writer and broadcaster Cerys Matthews. From "When the Saints Go Marching In" to "Go, Tell It on the Mountain", each song has a personal introduction from Cerys Matthews including instructions like "best sung at the top of your voice, and be sure to clap on the beat". And now there's no excuse for not knowing all the words to "Auld Lang Syne", appropriately the last song in Hook, Line & Singer.
Cerys Matthews divides her material into 11 chapters, grouping songs into categories from Action Songs to those for Christmas and New Year.
Chapter 6 – Monoglots to Polyglots – is perhaps for the more adventurous, containing, as it does, songs in other languages from the very well known like "Frère Jacques" to a Norwegian clapping song for children. "Bake kake søte".
Hook, Line & Singer is a fabulous book to dip into and I challenge anyone not to at least start humming the tunes. A perfect present and an ideal tome to have for ready reference when planning children's parties or any other occasion when only a song or two will do and an incentive to family members of all ages to get together and sing your hearts out.
The only extra I'd like to see would be an alphabetical index for easier reference.
PWT rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Published by Penguin, Hook, Line and Singer: 125 songs to sing out loud (Sing a Long Books)