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The internet is really such an amazing place, don’t you think?
Last Christmas, I don’t remember how, I ran across a little children’s shop, Leuie, in Vancouver…and I ordered some Christmas presents, quite late, to be shipped to some small people in the US. Naturally, I was just a little anxious that they might not arrive on time. But the lovely ladies at Leuie did not fail me. So I keep a careful watch on what is going on in Vancouver because, well, because I need to!
This is a very loong way of explaining how I found the book we are talking about today and the charming and vivacious woman who wrote it. I saw on Leuie’s Facebook page, that they were hosting a reading of Our Canadian Love Story at their little shop, and I was intrigued. So I started digging around and found Linnie’s contact information and emailed her. Immediately I knew that I had a new friend, at least virtually. We may well never meet, but even an email from Linnie will tell you that she is something special! This is a photo of Linnie taken at her book reading party at Leuie – Love it!!!
So after we emailed… I wanted to share this book with you. And tell you a little bit more about Linnie and how she came to write her “Canadian Love Story.”
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Over the River and Through the Wood
- Over the river, and through the wood,
- To Grandfather’s house we go;
- the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
- through the white and drifted snow.
- Over the river, and through the wood,
- to Grandfather’s house away!
- We would not stop for doll or top,
- for ’tis Thanksgiving Day.
- Over the river, and through the wood—
- oh, how the wind does blow!
- It stings the toes and bites the nose
- as over the ground we go.
- Over the river, and through the wood—
- and straight through the barnyard gate,
- We seem to go extremely slow,
- it is so hard to wait!
- Over the river, and through the wood—
- When Grandmother sees us come,
- She will say, “O, dear, the children are here,
- bring a pie for everyone.”
- Over the river, and through the wood—
- now Grandmother’s cap I spy!
- Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?
- Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!
- “Over the River and Through the Wood” is a Thanksgiving song by Lydia Maria Child. Written originally as a poem, it appeared in her Flowers for Children, Volume 2, in 1844. The original title of the poem is, “A Boy’s Thanksgiving Day”. It celebrates her childhood memories of visiting her Grandfather’s House.
The Thanksgiving Story, 1955 Caldecott Honor Book, written by Alice Dalgliesh and illustrated by Helen Sewell
If you have a child who loves trains – then you need this book!
Locomotive by Brian Floca is an amazing resource for any child who wants to know more about the history of trains in the US. I love the way that he has chosen to make it “real” by depicting a family on a journey across the country on a train and then explaining how long that would have taken.
