Walk, shepherdess, walk: a book to sing
Barrett Cobb – Illustrator and Performer
dog ears post
Indianapolis, Indiana
2016
$17.98
36 pages
Barrett Cobb’s childhood was filled with literature and song. When she was a child, a melody stayed with her, almost like a melodious lullaby.
Eleanor Farjeon wrote both the words and the melody that were first published in Nursery Rhymes of London Town in 1916 and adopted by the American Girl Scouts, transforming the little tune into a popular song that reflects to the world a time, a place and a different culture for most of the world.
As 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 poem of three lines and four lines. Some of the vocabulary might be difficult depending on the readers’ past experiences. The story was written with sheep wandering the nearby hills and uses words that are not always commonly spoken in today’s city culture. Some words need to be entered, such as shepherdess, ebony, ram, sheep, fleece, ram, and shan’t. The book explains that a ram is a leading sheep that could be compared to the Follow-the-Leader game. For many of us city folks, this is a new word for most of us.
The music is beautifully performed by the author, Barrett Cobb, and can be downloaded through the website listed in the book. The melody is an easy tune that can quickly turn into a haunting selection, one that will stay with you for days. The simplistic melody is sung by Barrett, who has a beautiful, well-trained voice that adds backing harmonies, flute, and piano in a memorable performance.
Twelve 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.
After a few readings, it’s easy for a young pre-reader or beginning reader to sing along to the tune while turning the pages with the pictures reinforcing the words.
At the end of the story, a narration explaining the poem helps further demonstrate that jealousy is the issue and how to properly recognize it and turn it into a positive life lesson.
Barrett Cobb is a painter, singer, flute player, and now a visual storyteller who turns a popular childhood song into a delightful life lesson for all.