Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb

By Al Perkins

Illustrated by Eric Gurney

Copyright 1969

Here’s one of those books that parents (and babies) learn by heart. In fact, in sticks in your brain so firmly that almost 50 years later, one can still recall passages.  That’s what happened to me last week with Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb.  

I was saying hello to two of my storytime friends, two-year old Jake and his big brother Jack.  “Hello Jack, hello Jake”, I said.  And immediately out popped, “Shake hands, shake hands, shake, shake, shake.”  The brothers hadn’t heard of that book, so I went to a cabinet to pull out the little board book copy of Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb.  I was dismayed to find that a couple of phrases are missing from the board book version, and that was one of them.  I made it a point, when I got home, to find my copy to see if I remembered the book correctly.  Sure enough, it reads, “Hello Jack.  Hello Jake.  Shake hands.  Shake hands.  Shake!  Shake!  Shake!  Bye-bye Jake.  Bye-bye Jack.  Dum ditty.  Dum ditty.  Whack! Whack! Whack!”

Unfortunately, the Spring storytime session is over, but hopefully I’ll soon get to see my little friends when they visit the library so I can show them these pages!

This book is perfect for babies and toddlers.  The rhythm and rhyme are irresistible, repetitious, and silly – a great combination!