Over in the Meadow: An Old Nursery Counting Rhyme

by Paul Galdone

An old nursery poem introduces animals and their young and the numbers one through ten.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Counting, Number, Poetry

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1986

About the author

Paul Galdone (1907 - November 7, 1986) was a children's literature author and illustrator. He was born in Budapest and he emigrated to the United States in 1921. He studied art at the Art Student's League and New York School for Industrial Design. He served for the US Army during world War II.

He illustrated nearly all of Eve Titus' books including the Basil of Baker Street series which was translated to the screen in the animated Disney film, The Great Mouse Detective.

Galdone and Titus were nominated for Caldecott Medals for Anatole (1957) and Anatole and the Cat (1958). The titles were later named Caldecott Honor books in 1971.

He died of a heart attack in Nyack, New York. He was posthumously awarded the 1996 Kerlan Award for his contribution to children's literature. His retellings of classic tales like "The Little Red Hen" or "Three Billy Goats Gruff" have become staples.

Reviews

[Kaia Neff]

I love pigs and nursery rhymes, so I really liked this book! The drawings were very bright and colorful which is great for children to see and admire. I also think rhyming phrases help children learn words because they sound alike and it is soothing to the ears as well.

[Grace Galloway]

I think that this book would be really goodto read. to a lower grade level. for number exposure

[Emma]

I like how Galdone included rhyming and counting. There is also some great vocabulary.

[Tori Martin]

A whimsically illustrated classic nursery rhyme counting through numbers 1-10.

[Krista]

I love reading this nursery rhyme and I thought this was an extra fun version of it!

[Janet]

I really liked this title, gorgeous nature illustrations featuring animals. Good teaching tool with rhyming text, plus the child sees in the double page spread the number word, the corresponding numeral, the corresponding number of animals to count.

[Siskiyou-Suzy]

As the cover of this says, it's "an old counting nursery rhyme," so I can't really judge that. But maybe I can. Why in the world is "haven" rhymed with "seven" when the word could so easily be changed to "heaven"?!

I like the song that goes along with this quite a bit -- it's fun, and it reminds me of my childhood. The illustrations are all right. They don't blow me away but several of them are very lively and sweet.

[Brandi]

A sweet rhyming counting picture book with bright watercolor illustrations.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian]

Paul Galdone shares an old nursery counting rhyme. The illustrations fill each page with a large number to highlight counting to ten.

2015 Theme: Book Boogie

Reviewed from a library copy.

[Little Champs]

Number 33

[Saffron Moon]

This rating is for the edition adapted and illustrated by Paul Galdone.