A new ride “Over the River”

Posted by: Sing Books with Emily on: November 21, 2011

In: Art of Singing a Song | SBWE Sing-Along Program for Classrooms and Families | Sing Along Tracks | Singable Book Title | Singable Picture Book Video | Singable Poem | Singable Poetry
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Over the River and Through the Wood
Traditional Tune
Poem by Lydia Maria Child
Illustrated by Matt Tavares

Matt Tavares has created a fantastic version of the song “Over the River and Through the Wood.” The pictures of the snowy 19th century New England town and landscape are beautiful, setting the blues and grays of snow and horse with the vivid reds of the sleigh and brick houses. He’s livened these lyric illustrations also with a story of a dog sometimes teasing and sometimes chasing after the sleigh holding in his teeth a boy’s hat that had flown off in the wind.

When I first saw the book, I didn’t buy it, put off by the book’s subtitle, “The New England Boy’s Song about Thanksgiving Day.” I wondered why the illustrator would make it a song for a boy, girls can enjoy it, too! But, turns out, this is Lydia Maria Child’s own subtitle for her poem. I hope girls won’t thing this book can’t be for them, too…it certainly can be! It’s a song and book everyone can enjoy.

Besides the great pictures, this book gets special accolades from me for illustrating the entire poem (not just a few select verses). The whole poem is here and it can all be sung to the familiar tune we all know…though, with some verses, you’ve got to learn the rhythms to fit the words.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YjFHBi2-os