School Library Journal Review
| PreS-K-This adaptation of "Over in the Meadow" attractively portrays wildlife in Louisiana's bayous and swamps. With rhythmic ease, Downing counts offspring, from "a mother pelican and her pelican one" to a mama mosquito "and her skeeters ten." Similar to the illustrations in Today Is Monday in Louisiana (Pelican, 2006), Kadair's mixed-media collages now include colorful painted backgrounds. The pictures are sometimes a little crowded as the numbers of animals rise, and proportions are somewhat scrambled (e.g., bears and dogs are the same size), but the overall effect is appealing. The appropriate numerals are occasionally hidden in the illustrations. There is no information about the animals, some of which may be unfamiliar to readers (e.g., alligator gars, Catahoula hounds, nutrias). Music is appended. Donna M. Bateman's Deep in the Swamp (Charlesbridge, 2007), a similar book about Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp based on the same traditional song, has finely detailed illustrations and provides information on the flora and fauna pictured. For the most part, the two titles cover different species. Downing's book is directed at younger readers and offers good storytime possibilities.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Horn Book Review
| This humdrum adaptation of ""Over in the Meadow"" features a series of mother animals (alligators, crawfish, possums, etc.) and their increasing number of babies in Louisiana settings (bayou, basin, swamp). From one pelican to ""skeeters"" ten, the animals in the collage illustrations are often difficult to interpret. A musical arrangement of the song is appended. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved. |
