Row, Row, Row Your Boat

May 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-"Row, row, row your boat/through the narrow gap./If you see a crocodile, don't forget to Snap! SNAP! SNAP!" The traditional children's song begins "merrily merrily" with rhyming rhythm but quickly adjusts to changes in flora and fauna as a kitten and puppy take a watery boat tour along a rainforest river, surrounded by easily identifiable animals and their sounds. Preschoolers will find a cartooned fantasy with colorful birds, mice, monkeys, elephants, butterflies, crocodile, lion, tiger, doves, and dragonflies. Rich acrylic paintings reveal brushstrokes through reflections in the water, a setting sun, and deep, lush forest vegetation. Introduced by a map with a patiently waiting mother dog at the end of the journey, the lyrical text also includes onomatopoeia at the end of each verse for interactive singing and play. Each verse (nine, including the original) may also be found with musical notation on the final page after "wearily, wearily, wearily" all "snuggle up and dream." A general purchase for all libraries.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2014
Cabrera transmutes the simple children's song into a participatory singalong with a nod to wildlife diversity. A girl puppy (she has eyelashes and wears a dress) and a boy kitten (he wears a shirt and shorts and has no visible eyelashes) row, row, row that little boat down a green river through a jungly setting. The first verse is the familiar one, and as the pages turn, they meet different animals, all with cute childlike faces and each paired with a verse that encourages animal noises from the audience. "Row, row, row your boat / Closer to the shore. / If you see a lion smile, / Don't forget to roar. / ROARRR!" In addition to the smiling lion, the rowing pair encounters swimming mice, a monkey ("OO, OO, AH, AH!"), an elephant, a crocodile, a tiger and singing doves ("COO!"). As it gets dark, puppy and kitten see mommy dog on the shore, and "wearily, wearily, wearily, wearily," they "snuggle up and dream." Thick impasto acrylics and clear colors with many shades of green underscore the dedication to Earth's "disappearing forests," though the illustrations make no attempt to create a recognizable, specific habitat. It may seem like a heavy message for this familiar nursery song; on the other hand, the original "life is but a dream" has philosophical and theological implications galore. Music and all the verses are appended. Sweet, if freighted. (Picture book. 3-6)

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