Over in the Hollow [Hardcover]

Rebecca Dickinson (Author), Stephan Britt (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Over in the hollow, where the cobwebs are spun,
Live a giant mother spider and her little spidey one.

Who else lives over in the hollow? A papa mummy and his little mummies two, a mama owl and her little owlets three...and more! And they all have something to say, whether it's to hoot, to howl, to hiss, or to yowl. Inspired by Olive A. Wadsworth's classic counting rhyme, "Over in the Meadow," Over in the Hollow is a spooky take on the popular Appalachian poem. A wonderful read-aloud, the playful rhyme and repetition will delight readers of all ages who enjoy a funnot scaryapproach to the world of ghosts, werewolves, and the like.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K—A Halloween-themed counting book inspired by "Over in the Meadow." Mummies, owls, bats, and more help readers count to 13. "Over in the hollow,/wrapped in old sheets and glue,/live an old, moldy mummy/and his little mummies two./'LURCH!' moans the mummy./'WE LURCH!' moan the two./And they lurch into the mist,/wrapped in old sheets and glue." The rhyme and rhythm flow well, making this a good choice for reading aloud. The mixed-media illustrations have a retro cartoon feel and are spooky, but not scary—just like the text. The large pictures make it easy to count along, and kids will enjoy the funny details. This should be a hit at Halloween storytimes.—Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Ft. Thomas, KY END

Review

SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
\"Author Rebecca Dickinson clearly had fun giving the classic children\'s song Over in the Meadow a Halloween makeover, while S. Britt\'s illustrations burst with wild action and color.\"

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
\\\"...enough ghoulish creatures to satisfy even the most diehard Halloween fans.\\\"

LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION
This is an enjoyable, but not scary addition to a Halloween collection.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811850358
• ISBN-13: 978-0811850353
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 10.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,183,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rebecca Dickinson was born in Boise, Idaho the middle child of 5. Her family moved frequently, and she grew up in the great northwest-settling in towns all over Washington,California, Alaska, Montana, Idaho and back again to beautiful Washington state.

Her love for books and drawing began early on and some of her favorite influences were the lively works of Richard Scarry, Ed Emberly, Maurice Sendak, Roald Dahl, Jim Henson and Dr.Seuss.

Rebecca is a self taught author/illustrator, and spent several years as an elementary school reading instructor before publishing her first book The 13 Nights of Halloween, in 1996.

She received the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators- Don Freeman memorial grant for excellence in illustration in 1996.

She lives and works in a wonderfully spooky old Victorian House c.1886;perched high on a hill in a small town just north of Seattle,Washington. When she's not creating in her studio, Rebecca enjoys traveling, gardening, music, reading, long walks and the delightful company of 3 fabulously fine kids- 2 friendly and furry dogs- 3 crazy curious cats - 2 pygmy goats and evening Raccoon callers. She loves to vist schools and share her love of books and drawing.
You can visit her web-site at www.rebeccadickinson.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My eyes are so happy I am crying confetti!, September 6, 2009

By 

L. Park (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Over in the Hollow (Hardcover)

This is the best looking kid's book I've seen in ages! Each spread is rich (and creamy) with details and little jokes all rendered in bright (yet tasteful) colors. If you don't know how to, I'm pretty sure this book'll get you up to snuff on skill of counting,I just wanted to look at the mummies and pumpkins. I'd strongly recommend this fun book for young and old alike, I'd also strenuously recommend you hurry up and order twenty post haste!

5.0 out of 5 stars We Spin!, October 21, 2009

By 

Molly Thor "Molly" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Over in the Hollow (Hardcover)

This beautiful childrens book captivates and spins an intricate web of the critters of the hollow! It has taken not only my children into it's spell but my husband and I as well! It has quickly become the bed time story in our house!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great spooky book for Halloween, September 21, 2009

By 

Zazzy Bazzy (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Over in the Hollow (Hardcover)

Although my review title mentions Halloween, now I think of it, I don't think this is really a Halloween book per se, it just has a lot of cool spooky creatures in it.

Anyhow, I have 2 kids (ages 1.5 and 4) and we read a TON of books, and this is my new absolute favourite. The kids like it I guess for the catchy rhymes and nice illustrations (I didn't ask them to break down EXACTLY why they like it to be honest but those seem to be the main thing from what I can tell).

I can't get enough of the visuals! There are so many books for kids that have really boring art, but then there are the ones where the art is just really great and striking and they create cool little worlds that make the books enjoyable even for us adults. I'm thinking like Dr. Seuss, Where the Wild Things Are, that kind of thing. The writing in the book is good too, it's a long rhyming type of thing, and I always enjoy that, it's always a lot more fun to read that stuff out loud than just plain stories, and I have a feeling this is going to overtake the Jillian Jiggs books as the most read poem book at our house.