Over in the Meadow

by Judy Dudich
(Pennsylvania USA)

Not only does thinking of my favorite childhood book invoke wonderful memories of time shared with my mother, but the whole "circle of life" sings in my heart for I spent many-the-hour walking halls with my own newborns in the middle of the night; humming and singing the words from this story which my mother had shared countless times with me so many years ago.

Ezra Jack Keats illustrates the newer editions of the traditional poem by Olive Wadsworth, entitled, "Over in the Meadow."

Often read as a rhyme, but usually sung in our family, this little story serves as a delightful way to teach your child to count. The first verse is read:

Over in the meadow
In the sand in the sun, lived an
Old mother turtle and her
Little turtle one.
"Dig," said the mother,
"I dig," said the one, and they
Dug all day in the sand in the sun.

Various woodland, water, and feathered creatures come to life as the pages are turned and the numbers are added all the way to ten.

Momma critters and their babies, swimming and digging, cawing and quacking...

I loved the easy rhythm of this book when I was a girl and I also loved the unspoken messages it shares of a mother's care of her young. Perhaps that's why I returned to it in song once I became a mother and wanted to share a lullaby with my own sweet babies.

Over in the Meadow at Amazon.

Judy Dudich is a homeschooling mother of ten and the creator of the website, Homeschool, Faith, and Family Life.

Visit the Homeschool Faith and Family Life Coloring pages.