Review by Booklist Review
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
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Old MacDonald is surely envious of the cuddly creatures gracing the pages of Gunson's fresh-as-a-daisy debut. In the barnyard and beyond, animal mothers teach their babies to do what comes naturally-young foxes practice rustling and rolling in the leaves; birds hone their flapping and cheeping. And amidst all this countryside activity, young readers learn a thing or two about counting from one to 10. British artist Guston's spare and lilting rhyme offers a series of simple directives and responses (" `Flap,' said the mother./ `We flap,' said the nine") for each of 10 increasingly large animal families. A sunny palette and textured brush work give Gunson's depiction of fleecy, furry and feathered friends a springtime breeziness. The animals' playful poses and sweet faces-and a recurring ladybug that children will have fun locating on various spreads-make this a captivating concept book. Ages 2-4. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-KThis 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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Using the pattern of the old counting rhyme, 'Over in the Meadow,' Gunson has created a new set of mother animals who urge their babies to stretch, leap, and snuggle. His sunny, texture-filled paintings show winsome animals sure to delight young children. From HORN BOOK 1997, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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 (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
