Around the Neighborhood: A Counting Lullaby

PreS-K—This bright, joyful adaptation of "Over in the Meadow" is set in a neighborhood that many children will find familiar. A laughing mother cuddles her baby in a room full of sun. A dog and his pups, a calico cat and her kittens, and a spider and his spiderlings are in the yard. The neighborhood expands to the school playground, where a ladybug and her little beetles crawl, two children watch a rabbit and his hopping bunnies through their classroom window, and so on. As the sun sets, a father swallow and his little birds soar over the whole neighborhood. Back in the house where the story began, the baby sleeps. A final spread shows 10 cameos of the various youngsters sleeping. The digitally rendered artwork has a bright jewel-tone palette as the day moves from morning to night and features both mothers and fathers tending their young. An author's note traces the history of this familiar counting rhyme and provides music. Whether read aloud or sung, this is a lovely addition to most collections.—Mary Jean Smith, formerly at Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN