Maggie Xu, mother of a 4-year-old in Beijing creates nursery rhymes by herself,sometimes with her daughter's help.
"I create different stories, with her as the protagonist," Xu said. "It's easy for her to learnand repeat."
Nursery rhymes, simple with catchy rhythms, have been regarded as an optimal way ofeducating children in the early ages.
Traditional rhymes spread orally, generation after generation. Some classics passedon by grandparents continue to appeal to children today.
But this tradition is at risk of extinction, due to changing social environments and a lackof attention.
Enticing good writing
Xu complained that there are few quality rhyme books for children in the market.
"There are a few classics, and the new writers have not caught up," she said.
Reportedly, there are hundreds of writers who create nursery rhymes, but only a dozenor so stand out. They are usually seniors, in their 60s or 70s.
"Most creators are children's poetry writers, teachers and parents. There are noprofessional rhyme writers, as far as I know," Chen Wenying, an editor of JiangsuJuvenile and Children's Publishing House, told the Global Times.
She said that rhymes receive low pay and have few publication channels, which resultsin a dismissal of the field.
"Only a few new rhymes are good, most good ones are classics from the past," Chensaid.
Jin Bo, a skilled creator of nursery rhymes, said that young people interested in thefield find the low pay daunting.
"Emerging writers don't begin writing nursery rhymes and instead write fairy tales," hetold Beijing Daily.
The lack of young writers furthers the gap between rhymes and today's children.
Meanwhile, there are many "grey rhymes," created by children themselves. They addfunny parts to poems or creating doggerels, some rather crude and decadent.
For example, one rhyme goes, "Going to school is tiring, going to school is suffering,why not go to gangland, eat delicious food and sleep with beauties?"
Some say children create their own rhymes to relieve pressure.
Yearn to learn
Jin Bo published a new collection of traditional nursery rhymes in July. While somenetizens were impressed, some thought some of his rhymes were unsuitable forchildren.
Writing rhymes for children is not an easy task. Writers should be familiar with the worldof children and also have the ability to create fanciful and appealing verses, said ChenWenying.
Chinese writers also must overcome existing stereotypes.
"Rhymes often emphasize morality and are not interesting to children," Chen told theGlobal Times.
Some parents complain that the hidden politics in children's rhymes goes past theirheads. Many parents thus turn to foreign nursery rhymes. Collections of nurseryrhymes and songs from Europe and the US are favored by Chinese parents.
The top five rhyme books with the most views at dangdang.com (one of China's leadingonline bookstores) are foreign, and almost half of the top 20 best-selling books arefrom other countries and regions.
English rhymes are interesting and relatable. Some parents also hope these rhymesact as learning tools.
"English rhymes are excellent, and children can practice their English by reading andlistening to them," said Xu.
She still hopes quality Chinese rhymes will be created for children.
"For some parents, it is not easy to read English rhymes to their children. Translatedinto Chinese, these rhymes sound odd without the cultural context."
Preserve the words
Maggie Xu said she uses both Chinese and English rhymes to encourage her child todevelop healthy life habits.
For example, she created a rhyme to encourage her daughter to brush her teeth.
"If she is reluctant to brush her teeth, I will repeat the rhyme as an encouragement. Itusually works," she said.
Many parents now rely less on traditional rhymes and create their own rhymes. Nurseryrhymes are considered irreplaceable by many experts in children's education, asrhymes are easily understood and accepted by children. They can learn and playthrough rhymes.
Chen said that the spread of "grey rhymes" indicate their need. But the socialenvironment has changed.
"In the past, children play together after school and have time to read rhymes. Nowthey often stay [and study] at home."
Some parents don't buy rhyming books for their children. There are more choices nowand picture books, short stories and various multimedia materials are often preferred.
There are people trying to save the tradition. Tan Zhe from Changsha, Hunan Provinceis a mother and writer who writes children's poems and rhymes. She said that it isdifficult to promote rhymes through traditional publication channels, as space is limited.
In 2009, she designed an e-magazine, Children Poem, and received support from over200 writers of children poems and rhymes. She is testing the mobile edition now,hoping it increase accessibility, and will continue her efforts.
Chen Wenying said that such enthusiasm is valuable and should be encouraged,because the movement lacks strength at present.
"Children are born poets. We should have courses for children's poems at school andencourage children to create rhymes," she said. "More creators usually lead to betterproducts."
She added that children now are under academic pressure and have few opportunitiesto play, which may stifle creation.
"These social changes come at a cost," she said.
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