Website design By BotEap.comWalk, shepherdess, walk: a book to sing

Website design By BotEap.comBarrett Cobb – Illustrator and performer

Website design By BotEap.comdog ears post

Website design By BotEap.comIndianapolis, Indiana

Website design By BotEap.com2016

Website design By BotEap.com$17.98

Website design By BotEap.com36 pages

Website design By BotEap.comBarrett Cobb’s childhood was filled with literature and songs. When she was a child, a melody stayed with her, almost like a melodious lullaby.

Website design By BotEap.comEleanor Farjeon wrote both the words and the melody which were first published in the Nursery Rhymes of London Town in 1916 and were adopted by the American Girl Scouts, transforming the little melody into a popular song that reflects to the world a time, place and a different culture for most of the world.

Website design By BotEap.comAs with most folk songs, over the years the song has been slightly modified with alternate melody and words. This book focuses on the original version. The book is based on a basic three-line, four-line poem. Some of the vocabulary could be difficult depending on the past experiences of the readers. The story was written with sheep roaming the nearby hills and uses words that are not always commonly spoken in today’s city culture. Some words need to be introduced, such as shepherdess, ebony, ram, sheep, fleece, ram, and shan’t. The book explains that a ram is a leading sheep which could be likened to the game Follow-the-Leader. For many of us city folk, this is a new word for most of us.

Website design By BotEap.comThe music is beautifully performed by the author, Barrett Cobb, and can be downloaded via the website listed in the book. The tune is an easy tune that can quickly become a haunting selection, one that will stay with you for days. The simplistic tune is sung by Barrett, who has a beautiful, well-trained voice that adds backing harmonies, flute, and piano in a memorable rendition.

Website design By BotEap.comTwelve magnificent watercolor paintings perfectly resemble the story in poem form as the story progresses and reinforces the poetic story. For young children, matching the text to the illustrations is very important to understanding the story, and this book exemplifies this relationship.

Website design By BotEap.comAfter a few readings, it is easy for a young pre-reader or beginning reader to sing along to the melody while turning the pages with the pictures reinforcing the words.

Website design By BotEap.comAt the end of the story, a narration explaining the poem helps further demonstrate that jealousy is the theme and how to properly recognize it and turn it into a positive life lesson.

Website design By BotEap.comBarrett Cobb is a painter, singer, flutist, and now a visual storyteller who turns a popular childhood song into an enchanting life lesson for everyone.