Over on the Farm: A Counting Picture Book Rhyme

Very small children are invited to stretch, splash, leap, and snuggle their way with the numbers from one to ten, along with familiar animals in a farmland version of the gentle children's song, "Over in the Meadow."

PreSchool-K. This charming rendition of the traditional nursery song "Over in the Meadow" will be a favorite for lapsit, toddler, and preschool story times. The singsong rhythm counts various baby animals up through 10: "Over on the farm in the early morning sun lived a clever mother cat and her little cat one. 'Stretch,' said the mother. 'I stretch,' said the one. So he stretched and felt warm in the early morning sun." The bright, richly textured, impressionistic paintings are endearingly happy and sunny. Small details (insects, flowers) will enchant children enjoying one-on-one reading, while the outdoor settings and animal portraits will carry well for group sharing. A double-page spread at the end allows children to recount the baby animals. A companion to John Langstaff and Feodor Rojankovsky's classic Over in the Meadow (Harcourt, 1957), this is an all-around winner.?Lisa Falk, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gunson presents the numbers from one to ten in a sumptuous book for the very young that toys with the familiar childhood ditty, ``Over in the Meadow.'' ``Over in the field in the green and the blue/lived a woolly mother sheep/and her little sheep two./`Leap,' said the mother./`We leap,' said the two. . . .'' The rhyming builds on the framework of animal babies whose numbers continue to increase. Warmth, security, and playfulness permeate the book, in the rhyme and meter, unexpected syntax and language, and absorbing tableaux. The creatures are often shown with smiles that border on cutesy, but there is otherwise a sophistication to the portrayals--which have a sponged look--of cats, sheep, frogs, and other animals in richly colored settings. Texture is emphasized rather than detail, to unique effect. A final spread presents all the animals for counting in a read-aloud of which adults won't quickly tire. (Picture book. 2-4) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Ages 2^-4. The popular "Over in the Meadow" folk rhyme gets a farm setting in this lively picture book that will draw very young children into counting the animals and joining in their actions. From the clever mother cat who stretches with her little cat one, to the kind mother pig who snuggles with her little piggies ten, the double-page, brightly colored paintings show the blissful animal families leaping, hopping, rustling, blinking, scratching, and flapping in the sun. Alone and in groups, preschoolers will enjoy counting the busy animals, chanting the repetitive rhyme, and acting out the loving game. Hazel Rochman