Monday Memories - Over in a Meadow

Last summer I rewrote the words to the counting rhyme Over in a Meadow.  I did it because of this:

Levin loves the book.  And so did Ande.  We sing it over and over and over. There is a good chance I have thirty more years of reading it aloud, and even if I only read it once a week that is still 15,600 more verses to go (it has ten).  That's daunting. Plain wearisome. Especially since our old version has poor pictures and rhymes that don't make sense.

So, I made up new verses and asked my friend Megan to illustrate them so that it would be a pleasant experience. Megan did a wonderful job, and the book is now one of my favorites to read aloud.

(When we Facetime, Afton repeatedly asks in her little husky voice, "Gramma, read book," until we adults stop talking and read.  It's fun to read to Afton because she loves it.  I am so glad Kathy, my co-grandmother, thought of this way for us to interact with her long distance.)  

Here are two of the pages of Over in a Meadow . . .

Over in a meadow as the rain falls from heaven

Lives an old mother hog and her little hogs seven.

“Wallow!” said the mother. “We wallow,” said the seven.

So they wallow and grunt as the rain falls from heaven.

Over in a meadow where the creek runs straight 

Lives an old mother trout and her little trouts eight. 

“Jump!” said the mother. “We jump,” said the eight. 

So they jump for flies where the creek runs straight.

I ordered several copies of Over in a Meadow and gave them to the grandkids for Christmas.  I'm almost out so I'm ordering more.  It was a fun project.

The next one I'm doing is "Five Little Monkey's Jumping on the Bed" using photographs of the grandkids. Except mama doesn't call the doctor, grandma calls grandpa.  Can't wait for that one!