Over the Hills and Far Away: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes collected by Elizabeth Hammill and illustrated by more than 70 celebrated artists

- April 01, 2015

As Elizabeth Hammill says in her introduction to Over the Hills and Far Away, nursery rhymes are "borderless - migrating with ease, begetting intriguing cultural variants along the way." With Over the Hills and Far Away, Hammill has collected 150 nursery rhymes from all over the world and invited 77 contemporary, award-winning illustrators like Eric Carle, Jerry Pinkney, Jon Klassen, Mo Willems, Robert Ingpen, Lucy Cousins, Emily Gravett, Mini Grey, Jessica Ahlberg and cover artist (and two-time Caldecott honor winner) Pamela Zagarenski, to bring them to life. Hammill skillfully pairs the rhymes on the page as well as matching them with the right illustrator. Some are playful, some are curious, some are strange and haunting, but all are melodic, mellifluous, entertaining and comforting. Hammill, co-founder of Seven Stories National Center for Children's Books, an institution whose mission is to collect, champion and celebrate children's literature. All artists involved "enthusiastically and generously contributed the artwork for this book, and donated it and their work in progress" to the Seven Stories' Collection of art. Below is a small sample of the magic that can be found inside Over the Hills and Far Away.