Customer Reviews

Over in the Meadow (Voyager Book)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You know how you can quote every page of "Spot's First Walk" ... three years later. This ones like that. The difference is that its such a nice book you don't start to dread bed times. I can quote this one now (I should be working, never mind) "Over in the meadow in the sand and the sun, lived an old mother turtle and her little turtle, one. Dig said the Mother, I dig said the one. So he dug all day in .." Oh all right, I'll stop. If you think you really know it, whats different about the Owl's page ? Buy it, I love it

Rhyming text that repeats and is predictable introduces families of animals. It starts with one animal and builds to a family of 10 animals. Animals that live in a meadow are presented which includes: turtle, red fox, robin, chipmunk, honeybee, beaver, frog/pollywogs, owl, spiders and rabbits.

At the end the musical score for singing this as a song and all the lyrics are printed.

The illustrations are lovely and unique. Some are full colored and others are pencil-gray with a yellowish color.

My children loved the singsong rhyming with the obvious cadence. The last illustration is of a scary predator-owl swooping down upon many of the animals, which are trying to run away! But that is all part of the life of the animals in the meadow!

From the writer and illustrator of the absolutely fantastic "Frog Went A Courtin'" (read that book for a great rollicking time!) comes the somewhat less impressive, "Over In the Meadow". Like "Frog", this is a picture book based on a classic folk song. It is simultaneously a counting tale as a well as one of the first cutsie baby animal books published in the United States (origianally published in 1957). A lovely look at the creatures in the fields, though not particularly memorable.

In this tale we get an opening shot of a myriad of creatures sitting, standing, or perching in the light of the meadow. As the song progresses a turtle asks her single offspring to dig, and he does so. Then a fox tells her two cubs to run, and they follow her suggestion. This continues, with each animal accruing more and more offspring, instructing them in different ways. The robins sing, the chipmunks play, the bees hum, etc. Finally, after the ten rabbits hop, we get this double page spread that is downright out of place. Suddenly it is night and an owl and a fox are out looking for prey as bunnies and gophers run for their lives. It is a beautiful and deeply evocative scene that has virtually nothing to do with the rest of the book. Then the book is over, with the exception of some helpful music sheets and chords for playing the song's tune.

John Langstaff hasn't done much to put his name on the tale, aside from breaking up the verses. It is really Feodor Rojankovsky's impressive illustrations that place this book apart from others. Alternating between the colorful and the subtly shaded, Rojankovsky adeptly portrays every animal from bird to bee. It's a nice effort and a nice book. Just the same, if you'd really like to see Langstaff and Rojankovsky at their best, I highly recommend the Caldecott winning, "Frog Went A Courtin'" for all your picture book needs.

We LOVE this book!! I actually sing the book to the them, instead of read it (the sheet music is at the end of the book). The pictures are beautifully illustrated and the theme of the book is so warm and uplifting. My 3 year old is actually starting to sing along with me, too... and usually wanting to sing it by herself! This is must-have for any child's book collection!

This book proved to be the most cherised by my 3 children. It's easy for even the littlest ones to recognize after just a few readings. You'll find yourself imitating the characters and scenes, as did my children and I. Today, as adults, they remember every rhyme and the fun we had with our silly renditions. It'll definitely be the one they fondly share with their children and grandchildren.

I have two versions of this story, have seen many others, and the one by John Langstaff is the best!

I absolutely love this book. The words are a song and I bought it for my baby daughter's first Easter because I wanted to learn how to sing it to her. It's just lovely. Has a sweet, old-fashioned feel to it that you just don't find that often.

This is a classic from my childhood that I am so happy to share with my children. Wonderful pictures and the rhyming keeps everyone in a trance.

When I was a small boy, my sister and I would be invited into my parents bed on sunday morning for some storytime. Now my father was an old New England Yankee who was a small child about 1910. He recited "Over in the meadow" by memory, then, after WW2. His mother (nee 1857) taught it to him, same way. The turtles, and beavers weren't there. I also remember that he went to the number twelve. (Where the men dig and delve). I find the version by Ezra J. Keats to be much closer to what I remember. As for the Beavers, there is no word "beave" in my dictionary, and do not understand a childs writer putting in "made-up" words in just to change a perfectly good rhyme: Not a good way to start a childs education. The NIEHS website has two or three versions in print, and can be found with a google search. Then you have to winnow the editions to find the one that suits you best. This is only my opinion, and thank you for reading.