When I First Came to This Land

When I First Came to this Land was inspired by an old PA Dutch folksong, but was actually written with a new melody and English text in the 1940s by Oscar Brand. Pete Seeger then made it popular, and it does have that folk appeal for which he is well-known. Ms. Ziefert changed some of the lyrics--some to be nicer for kids, which is why it is "retold by. . ." (Brand's song lists the horse verse as "and I called my horse-dead, of course.") All in all a cheerful book with fun illustrations!

I don't know how this could be considered "re-told" as it says on the cover. These words are not new. They are the lyrics to an old folk song. The illustrations, however, are original, and they illustrate the song in a folk art style that synchronises nicely with the story that the lyrics tell.