Review by Booklist Review
Extending through eight southern and eastern states, the Blue Ridge Mountains are home to many familiar North American animals. Ten of them are featured in this pleasant picture book, one on each double-page spread. With a pattern and rhyme scheme based on the familiar counting rhyme "Over in the Meadow," the verse text begins, "Over in the Blue Ridge, in the leaf-dappled sun / lived a gentle mother deer and her little fawn ONE. / 'Hide,' said the mother. 'I hide,' said the ONE. / So they hid in the forest full of leaf-dappled sun." Next, a mother bear tells her two cubs to forage, a cardinal urges her three fledglings to fly, and so on. As a read-aloud choice, the text is effective, and it's even better when sung. A traditional tune is appended along with guitar chords, and for those who don't read music, a YouTube search for "Over in the Meadow" will be helpful. Using color and light beautifully, the illustrations have a folk-art quality that suits the verse. An inviting counting book.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Baby-Toddler--A delightful new adaptation of Over in the Meadow takes readers and listeners to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Appalachia. "Over in the Blue Ridge in the leaf-dappled sun/lived a gentle mother deer and her little fawn ONE. 'Hide,' said the mother. 'I hide,' said the ONE. So they hid in the forest full of leaf-dappled sun." Part counting book, part natural history, this work introduces animals endemic to the Blue Ridge Mountains (squirrel, badger, trout, rabbit, salamander) and the collective nouns of their offspring (baby salamanders are efts). Readers will want to sing along; Gardner is precise in adapting to the original meter. Coleman's illustrations, in some places displaying a translucence like tissue-paper collage, are bright and inviting for the prereaders who are going to adore this. Back matter includes basic information on some of the animals found in the book, as well as a musical score for the chorus. VERDICT This will be a story time hit well beyond Appalachia. A first purchase for public libraries.--Jennifer Knight, North Olympic Lib. Syst., Port Angeles, WA
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
This variation on a popular counting song combines numbers with animals from the Blue Ridge Mountains. In "Over in the Meadow," a counting poem--turned--traditional song for children, an animal mother asks her babies to perform a task in a rhythmic call-and-response. Each stanza, in turn, adds a sequential number to promote counting. This adaptation uses the refrain "Over in the Blue Ridge" to introduce animals from the region. Double-page spreads in earthy hues showcase a variety of scenes with charming, smiling animals populating land, sky, and water: Foxes pounce in a thicket; cardinals fly from a dogwood tree; brook trout swim in a creek. As in the original, animal mothers call on their numbered babies to act. A mother salamander, for instance, appeals to her 10 young efts: " 'Slither,' said the mother. 'We slither,' said the TEN. / So they slithered in the mud of the boggy mountain fen." Boldface text highlights the action words while cardinal numbers are emphasized in capital letters and different colors. Numerals beside each offspring also aid beginning counters. A final spread wraps up the song with all of the animal families featured together. A concluding section simply states that the Blue Ridge Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountains, but it provides more details about each animal as well as the score to the song. A pleasant concept book to integrate counting, mountain habitats, and language arts. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
