Over in the Meadow (Voyager Book)

Rating:
Summary: In the meadow, in the glen
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: In the meadow, in the glen
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Both the kids and I loved it!
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: Your kids will share it with their kids and so on....
Review: 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.