The Farmer in the Dell - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1567923909 ISBN 13: 9781567923902

Publisher: David R. Godine, Publisher, 2010

Synopsis

The timeless circle game 'The Farmer in the Dell' is one of the first that American children learn to play, and its happy, lilting song is among the first they learn to sing. Here the celebrated picture-book artist Ilse Plume has imagined a fresh and very American setting for the lyrics. Ms. Plume's colored-pencil drawings are inspired by the folk art and decorative motifs of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Included are a musical transcription, lyrics, and directions for playing the game. This book is now available for the first time in softcover.

About this title

About the Author:

Ilse Plume is a collector and illustrator of children's songs and folktales from around the world. Her first book, The Bremen-Town Musicians, was a Caldecott Honor Book for 1981. She has since created many other beautiful works, including The Twelve Days of Christmas and she has also illustrated books by Jane Langton, Nancy Williard, & Charlotte Zolotow.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 2–The life of a farm family is portrayed in this newly illustrated version of the traditional children's singing game. Seasons change and years pass as the farmer does his chores in the summer, marries in the fall, becomes a father in the winter, and sows his crops in the spring. The setting is the Pennsylvania Dutch country, and the pages abound with birds, hearts, and flowers in the style of those found in Amish quilts. The clothing, furniture, architecture, and buggies reinforce the sense of place. Plume's delicate, colored-pencil illustrations have a flat, patterned quality and are printed on off-white paper, which gives this small book an old-fashioned feel. The text gently undulates across the horizontal pages, echoing the rolling hills of the landscape and recalling the musical nature of the text. Instructions for playing the game, notes about the art, and sheet-music endpapers are included. The version illustrated by Alexandra Wallner (Holiday House, 1998) is done in a more general American folk art style.A lovely addition to music or picture-book collections.–Robin L. Gibson, formerly at Perry County District Library, New Lexington, OH
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About this edition

• Publisher: David R. Godine, Publisher
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1567923909
• ISBN 13: 9781567923902
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Plume Ilse