During the years when we made so many songs, our ears were constantly on the alert and we had a tape recorder ready. Spending time with four-year olds, there were often moments that turned into an eruption of words. They gain a command of language the same way they balance and swing. They play with words, twist and turn them. And laugh hilariously at rhymes, jingles and pure nonsense.

One morning we heard: “Button all the buttons on my rain coat, daddy!” and after the child had taken a liking to that sentence, she couldn’t help adding a short refrain: “Button the button and button the buttons!”

We realised that a text like that didn’t need a melody. It sings itself and is as good as any poetry. We collected a bunch of these poetic texts and speculations.

Kristin Harrysson, who was seven-years old at the time, made illustrations that completely capture the essence of the texts.

The book has a lovely layout and is a little gem waiting to be re-released…