Two intrepid librarians

Two intrepid librarians review the best nonfiction books for children

Monday, April 27, 2015

Over the Hills and Far Away: a treasurey of nursery rhymes, collected by Elizabeth Hammill


Over the Hills and Far Away: a treasurey of nursery rhymes

Collected by Elizabether Hammill
Illustrated by more than 70 celebrated artists
Candlewick Press. 2015
ISBN: 9780763677299
Babies – Grade 3
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Read this article over at Reading While White

I love nursery rhymes and so does Elizabeth Hammill, critic, bookseller and cofounder of Seven Stories, Britain’s National Center for Children’s Books

Hammill states in her introduction, Nursery rhymes have enlivened my life for as long as I can remember. Mine, too. As librarians, parents, and teachers, we all know that early exposure to books is an important element in a child’s development. It helps them master language and, hopefully, to love reading. Nursery rhymes, with their repetition, rhyme and beat is a pleasurable way to engage young children, especially babies. It's really fun to see toddlers stopping in mid-motion when their favorite rhyme is sung in toddler time. 

In this lovely anthology, Hammill has collected rhymes from various cultures around the world that will provide listeners with a genuine intercultural experience. Over 77 artists illustrate the rhymes. Hammill included those new to the field alongside our favorites: Jon Klassen, Polly Dunbar, Nina Crews, Shaun Tan, Helen Craig, Charlotte Voake, Axel Scheffler, and many more. Although a few of the pictures are recycled, most of the artwork is original. Eric Carle’s very hungry spider illustrates two rhymes about spiders.
At early morning the spiders spin/And by and by the flies drop in;/And when they call, the spiders say,/Take off your things, and stay all day. (American)

Ladybird, ladybird, /Fly away home. /Your house is on fire/And your children all gone;/All except one/And that’s little Ann/And she has crept under/The warming pan. (English)

Back matter includes notes about each artist, index of first lines, and sources.

All in all, this would make a wonderful addition to any library.

Read Betsy Bird's review at Fuse 8.


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