Over the River & Through the Wood

by Linda Ashman, Kim Smith (Illustrator)

Pack up the pooches and load the van.
We need to leave by eight!
There’s so much to bring.
Do we have everything?
Come on, we can’t be late!
 
The classic song gets a fresh new twist! The fun begins when Grandma and Grandpa send invitations to their far-flung, modern, and multiracial family: Come to our house for the holidays—and bring your favorite pie! Off everyone goes, driving down snowy roads, riding the train, boarding a plane . . . even sailing along in a hot-air balloon. As each family faces an obstacle that delays their trip, they learn that sometimes the most old-fashioned form of transportation works best . . . NEIGH!

Genres: Picture Books, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holiday, Childrens, Family, Travel

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2015

About the author

Linda Ashman is the author of more than 40 picture books and The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books . Her books have been included on the "best of the year" lists of the New York Times, IRA/CBC Children's Choices, the New York Public Library and others, and have been translated into many languages. Linda lives with her family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

By hook or by crook, by planes, trains, and hot air balloon - this family is GOING to get together for the holiday. Kim Smith's illustrations are wonderful, bursting with color and life.



And, since a few mommies seem to have gotten their knickers in a twist over the fact that the book includes a gay couple (pictured above) I'm giving this one five stars. Choke on your stuffing, homophobes!

EVERYONE is welcome at my table. (As long as they bring a pie.)

[Suki · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was all good until we got to the gay couple. Some people, I'm sure, don't mind it and even appreciate it being included. For me? I'll take a pass. And be thankful that my young child didn't notice.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of our library random pick ups personally I not all for the gay couple books being propagandized to small children.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review and teacher tools at: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=8401

Holidays are a great time to celebrate spending time with families, and Over the River & Through the Wood highlights the highs and lows of traveling to see family for the holidays. Told in the same rhythm as the original song, the book has been modernized to include families coming from all different places to go visit family. I also loved the different types of families that were represented in the book. It shows real families and how they are all so different.

[Jennybeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, diverse, and updated for modern means of travel (mostly). Very fun travel scenarios (hot air balloon, anyone) and excellent illustrations!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun. And while it's mostly silly fun, the illustrations that reveal a strong message of diversity, about the definition of family being more about love and less about 'blood.'

[Jack & Lily Wills · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book!

[Aneesa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's safe to say that all negative reviews of this book are wrong.

1. We just sang the whole thing and it scans perfectly.

2. You thought this was going to be the original song? It's not this book's fault you had incorrect expectations.

3. You don't like it that one family took a ferry and a hot air balloon to Thanksgiving? You're no fun and definitely not a child.

4. Your heart is full of hate and you think this book should have included a scene of the grandparents cutting ties with their gay son? WRONG

[Maggie Ignasiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only downside to this one is that singing the song is tougher with the word choice. However, everything else in the story drastically outweighs that downside. The illustrations are beautiful, the family includes a variety of romantic identities, racial and cultural backgrounds, and even adoptive (or possibly foster) families. They even use different modes of transportation to get to their grandparents' house, like car, trains, airplane, shuttle, ferry, hot air balloon, and the traditional sleigh. They come from different landscapes, like the city, desert, and suburbs. This is an awesome new take on a classic.

[Maggie Mattmiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this modern twist on an old favorite song! It's not modern only because someone is taking a picture on their smart phone, but this wonderful book shows "modern" families, that have not been shown in many books in the past. I see a family with two dads, a family with adopted children, a family that's interracial... all going to grandma and grandpa's house! People tell me I have a diverse family, so I see this being a great holiday stories for the children that will come into our lives (at whatever point that happens!)

[TransparentFilter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Indoctrination at it's finest.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows the different members of a family trying to get their own families home to "grandma and grandpa's" house for Thanksgiving. While it is a fun, sweet twist on a classic song, I was a little surprised at the author's attempt at political correctness. You have every mix of family that can be imagined...a little over the top.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grades K-5. Cute addition to the family/transportation tradition used in schools during the holidays. More diverse families and variety of transportation-- though no single-parent households, which might have made this a stronger offering.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun twist on the classic. Everyone is going to grandma’s but they’re coming from different regions and in different methods of transportation. I enjoyed the creative modes the author used to get the guests traveling to grandmas yet somehow, when they arrive, they are all together, in the old traditional means of transportation. What happened along the way?

The whole family has received Grandma and Grandpa’s invitation to come to their house for the holidays and they’re all coming, with a pie. The four families pack up and begin their trip. Written in rhyme, each family has travel issues along the way but have no fear, just when they think they will not make it, they hear a “Neighhhh!” They are saved! The horse is pulling a large sleigh which has enough room for everyone, driven by a friendly fellow. Once everyone has boarded and everything is put on the sleigh for the holidays, they head off to another family member who is stranded.

After all four of the families have been loaded and their holiday goodies have been loaded on, they head out to grandma and grandpa’s house where the they celebrate with family and friends.

What a cute and fun holiday book. I loved the illustrations; they are simply beautiful to look at. Kim does an amazing job! Her attention to detail, the bright and colorful illustrations really make this book spectacular! It took me a while to find my rhythm with this book but once I did, it was fun to read. I really liked this book.

[Bailey]

Over the River & Through the Wood tells the story of a big family coming together to Grandma and Grandpas. A car breaks down, no rentals available, the bus has a flat, and there is even a hot air balloon. But through each families trouble to get to the grandparents home, a trusty horse and carriage comes to save the day.
I really enjoyed to book because it showed diversity in families through interracial or same sex marriage and adoption. It was also suspenseful on if they were going to make it to Grandma and Grandpa.
Not every child in the classroom has the same picture of a family. Having a book that shows all the kinds of families there are can make everyone in the classroom feel included. The book is also good to read close to the holidays.

[Emily Chaffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about the basic story like the song but instead of just one story, it follows several parts of the family and how they all get to grandmas. They all face their different challenges and finally find a common way to get to their destination.

I was not a huge fan of this book. I didn't really understand how they were all taking different extreme measures of transportation and I just felt that the book was disorganized and confusing.

If I had to use this book in my classroom, I would use it during the holidays and maybe create a chart and follow each family and try to imagine how they all crossed paths.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful book to read aloud which focuses on the true meaning of the holidays-families. This book features a large extended family of all colors and types including a gay couple, adopted children, and plenty of pets, living in diverse places from intercity to the remote north, all joining the feast at their grandparents house. Lots of bright illustrations and many interesting topics to discuss along the way. I highly recommend this book!

[Kathy Maggiacomo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the blended families. I like that anyone can think the holiday is whatever they choose, thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukkah, or whatever.
I liked all the different transportation vehicles to Grandma's.
I liked the the one horse sleigh helps all 4 families.
I liked using the modes of transportation to review the sequence of the story.
I think children can make many connections with their own life.
My students clapped at the end and enjoyed neighing with the horse when he appeared.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Multicultural to the max, honoring many configurations of contemporary families. Smith’s engaging illustrations make up for the occasional lapses in Ashman’s rhyming story about the trials of gathering at the grandparents’ home for the holiday. Would have preferred an homage to the inspiration for the title, perhaps by printing the song lyrics on one of the end pages with a note about its significance to the author and illustrator.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great book. I love how they used the song to tell the story. And it was great that they're we're different "families" telling how they got to the parents home. And using different forms of transportation was a good idea. It worked so well for telling the story.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes holiday and/or family books.
I read it 3 times!

[SLoMoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars for us. I liked the diverse families and how the illustrations showed various “planes, trains, and automobiles” that get the family all the way to grandma’s house. Not so sure about that hot air balloon, but it’s cute nonetheless. It sure makes me excited for a big family gathering at grandma’s house.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

We didn’t get this on time for Thanksgiving but it worked great for our school unit on Transportation and I’d definitely get it again! The story is so cute and funny and great representation/diversity of families without making a big deal about it.

[Hayley DeRoche · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun play on a familiar rhyme, a diverse extended family, cute illustrations and sleigh bells. Can't ask for much more than that!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Beautifully illustrated. A very diverse family. Some of the transitions are a little abrupt, but otherwise it is wonderful.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A celebration of families coming together despite travel hiccups.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so so darling. It totally captures a modern family's experience on Halloween. Haha, every time that horse neighs is just so magical. Gotta love it!

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Kit Feral · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a four star for me until I saw all the reviews complaining about the gay couple. I'm frankly shocked and throughly disappointed. This was a lovely book.

[Cyril · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lively and fun holiday read-aloud. Just about every possible method of transportation is included! And it's great to see a holiday book celebrating diverse families.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

a tad repetitive if singing but not bad for reading