Thursday, June 30, 2011

Old MacDonald has a farm, EE-I-EE-I-O

In the spirit of Old McDonald and onomatopoeia sound effects.
The Gobble Gobble Moooooo: Tractor Book 

Gobble Gobble Moooooo Tractor Book by Jez Alborough. Kane Miller, 2010

Jez Alborough's usual cast of animals characters are trying to hitch a ride on a tractor driven by Sheep.  Farmer Dougal hears the all noise and jumps out of bed to see what is going on. All he sees is his tractor sitting in place and animals grazing quietly, nearby.  After he returns to bed, the animals are ready to ride again.  The story reminded me of Duck on a Bike by David Shannon -- animals and vehicles.  As a read aloud, there are animal sounds to make.  The illustrations are in Alborough's comic style.  I will say that the toothy grin of the sheep is a little unnerving.

Chicken, Chicken, Duck!Chicken, Chicken, Duck by Nadia Krilanovich, Tricycle, 2011

Farm yard animals quack, baa, cluck, maa, squeek, meow and woof.  As the pages turn, the animals seem to be cheerfully jumbled up together. It is not until the last two page spread that their goal is revealed.  Krilanovich paints with lovely texture and pattens.  Her chickens are especially beautiful.  The book plays with the Duck Duck Goose game chant, adding in animal sounds. 


Dancing Feet!Dancing Feet! by Lindsey Craig, illustrated by Marc Brown, Knopf, 2010

Dancing is just plain fun for everyone.  Dancing ladybugs go Tippity! Tippity!, elephants go Stompity! Stompity!, ducks' feet go Slappity! Slappity! and so on, with insects and lizards and animals of all sizes dancing up a storm.  Nice rhythm and rhyme swing the text. It would make an excellent storytime read-aloud with lots of opportunities for audience participation.  Marc Brown's collage illustrations pop with color and texture.  The simple shapes might inspire some young artists.  I am putting this one in my "have book, will travel" librarian's bag.

3 comments:

Marissa said...

Hello! I really enjoy your blog and have found it quite useful! I am an educational psychologist and mom who is always looking for some good books for my "baby bookworm" (we get sick of reading the same ones over and over). These three here would be perfect for her, and I can't wait to check them out.

Connie Arnold said...

Thanks for sharing about the fun books! My grandchildren love books about animals, and these look ones they would enjoy.

Unknown said...

Thanks I was looking for some new book ideas for younger readers.