Over in the Meadow
"Over in the meadow / in the sand in the sun / Lived an old mother  turtle / and her little turtle one. /Digsaid the mother. /We  digsaid the one. / So they dug all day / in the sand in the sun." Oliver A.  Wadsworth's well-loved, late-19th-century counting rhyme transforms itself again  in this gently endearing picture bookOver in the Meadow, illustrated by  Anna Vojtech. Preschoolers will be captivated by the soft, steady rhythms of the  poem and its serene expression of the mother-baby bond. Each spread, counting  from 1 to 10, shows a mother animal and her young (two babies, three babies,  four babies, etc.), but toddlers can also locate twosomes, threesomes, and  foursomes of other living creatures in the meadow scenes to count as well. In  the "old mother owl" spread, there are three owl babies, three beetles, three  ants, three acorns, and three caterpillars! What makes this book stand out from  a sea of counting books are the spectacular, luminous illustrations--set off  masterfully by an elegant but playful design with generously sized type and  clever illustrative accents (four little ratties, little bees five, etc.) This  new take on an old favorite belongs on every preschooler's shelf! (Baby to  preschool)--Karin Snelson