HomePoemsOver the River and Through the Wood

Over the River and Through the Wood

A Thanksgiving poem by Lydia Maria Child

Read aloud by Storyland Classics  ✦  3 min 11 sec  ✦  Watch on YouTube

Over the river and through the wood, to grandfather’s house we go! Bundle up for a jingling sleigh ride through the snow to Thanksgiving dinner. Listen to the read-aloud, follow along with the words, or bring the poem home as a read-along picture book.

Read the Poem Buy the Book

✦ A Living Storybook ✦

A Sleigh Ride to Thanksgiving

“Over the river, and through the wood,
To grandfather’s house we go…”

Lydia Maria Child’s poem follows a family on the happiest trip of the year. The horse knows the way, the wind stings their toes and bites their noses, the sleigh bells ring, and at the end of the ride grandmother is waiting at the door with pudding and pumpkin pie. Its cheerful, repeating first line has made it one of the best-loved Thanksgiving poems in America for more than 175 years.

At Storyland Classics, the complete poem comes to life with gentle narration and warm storybook illustration: snowy hills, a red sleigh, a dappled gray horse and a farmhouse glowing at the end of the road, with Lisa Bream’s warm English narration. It makes a cozy holiday read-aloud, a homeschool poetry lesson for November, or a sweet way to talk about family traditions.

Read and Listen Together

Our picture book brings the sleigh ride to your child’s lap: the complete poem with storybook illustrations on every page. A QR code inside links to the narrated read-aloud, so you can turn the pages and listen together. Paperback and Kindle. Ages 3–8.

Storyland Classics pairs public domain literature and original narration with AI-assisted illustrations inspired by the golden age of storybook art.

✦ The Poem ✦

Full Text of Over the River and Through the Wood

by Lydia Maria Child, first published as “The New-England Boy’s Song about Thanksgiving Day” in Flowers for Children, Vol. II. Public domain.

Over the river, and through the wood, To grandfather’s house we go; The horse knows the way To carry the sleigh Through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river, and through the wood, To grandfather’s house away! We would not stop For doll or top, For ’tis Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river, and through the wood, Oh, how the wind does blow! It stings the toes And bites the nose, As over the ground we go.

Over the river, and through the wood, With a clear blue winter sky, The dogs do bark, And children hark, As we go jingling by.

Over the river, and through the wood, To have a first-rate play. Hear the bells ring, “Ting-a-ling-ding!” Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river, and through the wood, No matter for winds that blow; Or if we get The sleigh upset Into a bank of snow.

Over the river, and through the wood, To see little John and Ann; We will kiss them all, And play snow-ball And stay as long as we can.

Over the river, and through the wood, Trot fast, my dapple-gray! Spring over the ground, Like a hunting-hound! For ’tis Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river, and through the wood, And straight through the barn-yard gate. We seem to go Extremely slow,— It is so hard to wait!

Over the river, and through the wood, Old Jowler hears our bells; He shakes his pow, With a loud bow-wow, And thus the news he tells.

Over the river, and through the wood, When grandmother sees us come, She will say, “O, dear, The children are here, Bring a pie for every one.”

Over the river, and through the wood, Now grandmother’s cap I spy! Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done? Hurrah for the pumpkin-pie!

✦ About the Poem ✦

A New England Thanksgiving

Lydia Maria Child (1802–1880) was a Massachusetts writer who published novels, household advice and some of the first American magazines for children. She was also a tireless campaigner against slavery and for the rights of women and Native Americans.

She wrote this poem in the 1840s under the title “The New-England Boy’s Song about Thanksgiving Day,” remembering childhood trips to her grandfather’s house. Set to music, it became the song many families still sing every November, often as “grandmother’s house” and “through the woods.”

Questions for Young Listeners

  • Where is the family going, and how do they get there?
  • What does the cold wind do to their toes and noses?
  • Who is waiting at the end of the ride? What food is ready?
  • Who do you like to visit for a holiday?

✦ Talk & Play ✦

Ride Along at Home

  • Say “Over the river, and through the wood” together at the start of every verse.
  • Jingle a bell or shake keys whenever the sleigh bells ring.
  • Trot in place like the dapple-gray horse, faster and faster as you get close.
  • Draw the farmhouse at the end of the road, with grandmother at the door.

✦ For Grown-Ups ✦

Good to Know About Over the River and Through the Wood

Is it grandfather’s house or grandmother’s house?

Lydia Maria Child wrote “to grandfather’s house we go.” Many people now sing “grandmother’s house,” and both are loved. Grandmother appears near the end of the poem, spotting the children and calling for pie.

Is Over the River a Thanksgiving poem or a Christmas song?

It was written about Thanksgiving Day, and the poem says so in several verses. Because of the snow and the jingling sleigh bells, many families sing it all winter, right through Christmas.

What age is Over the River and Through the Wood best for?

Ages 3 to 8. The repeated first line makes it easy for young children to join in, and older children enjoy spotting the old-fashioned words like “dapple-gray” and “first-rate play.”

Wondering about public domain or classroom use? Every text on Storyland Classics is free to read and share. See our FAQ for teachers and families.

✦ Keep Reading ✦

More Poems to Enjoy

The Sugar-Plum Tree

A bedtime poem by Eugene Field

Seein’ Things

A poem by Eugene Field

All Poems

Browse every poem in the Storyland Classics library.

Picture Books

Every Storyland Classics read-along picture book.