No doubt, the cow that jumped over the moon has inspired many poets, artists, and illustrators. I cannot begin to name the ways that The Cow Jumped Over the Moon has contributed to the artist and the writer that I still strive to become, and I want to challenge everyone to consider how very marvelous this poem actually is:

Hey, diddle, diddle,
BY MOTHER GOOSE

Hey, diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

Consider all the fantastic things going on in those few lines.

A common household pet animal has become so very human that he can play a musical instrument. Not only that, but he is also playing a song that makes folks and creatures want to laugh and dance.

Life is being lived at the max: it is over the moon–heavenly.

And everyday, household items have become human, and they have gotten married and have run away for a future life of bliss.

Life just does not get any better than what is described in Hey Diddle Diddle. I have spent my entire life, trying to get over that cow’s moon. Haven’t you?

Mrs. Cow Wears Socks with Red, Hot Rocket Ships
Jacki Kellum Copic Marker Sketch for Illustration

Mrs. Cow Down on the Farm
Jacki Kellum Watercolor Sketch

Mrs. Cow Wears Bright Polka Dots
Jacki Kellum Watercolor Illustration

The Sun Needs to Rise, but the Rooster’s in Bed
Jacki Kellum Watercolor Illustration

I am happy to be able to acknowledge that much of my adult work in writing and illustrating children’s books is linked to the magic that I sensed as a child in the poem Hey, Diddle Diddle.

Picture books can become much of what formulates a child’s outlook on life. I know that I can draw a direct link to how several children’s books and/or poems have made me what I am now and what I further hope to become.

Let’s give the cat, the fiddle, the cow, and the moon credit: They taught us to dream.

I thank God for the Cow who managed to Jump Over the Moon.