Review by Booklist Review
Ages 2^-5. Eye-catching artwork distinguishes this otherwise ordinary picture book about two children visiting a farm, then picnicking on the food the farm produces. The text follows a predictable pattern to describe what the children experience as they tour the farm: "A cow, a cow--a chewing cow"; "Milk, milk--milked from the cow." There are concepts to be learned here, particularly for very young children and those living in urban areas, but the text seems rather lifeless, especially compared with the exuberant art. Bright, cheerful colors, used very creatively (Whoever heard of pink hills or yellow sky?), appear in pleasing compositions, heightened by an assortment of dots, swirls, and stripes. The book will work well in a toddler story time revolving around a farm or food theme, and it will definitely attract browsers if it is left out on a display table. --Lauren Peterson
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This British import takes a merry and unique approach to a favorite preschool landscape, the farm. Spelled out in typography that undulates through the spreads, Morton's (The Pig That Barked) story couldn't be simpler. First, a farmer and his wife lead a girl and boy on a tour of their farm: "A cow, a cowa chewing cow./ A churn, a churna turning churn." Then readers learn that everything they have seen leads in some way to a delicious picnic meal at the book's finish: "Milk, milkmilked from the cow./ Butter, buttermade in the churn." After the quartet consumes their meal al fresco, they nap "on the good green grass." Barringer's rollicking, full-bleed illustrations are rendered in densely applied candy colors of grape, orange, butterscotch and lime, and everything in her sunny landscape is plump and happy, from the roly-poly farmer and his zaftig wife and animals to the patchwork-like hills. The gentle reggae beat of the text, the multi-ethnic cast of characters and the vibrant palette all contribute to a tropical twist on the usual corn-fed setting. Ages 1-3. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-KA very simple story about a little girl and boy who visit a farm owned by sturdy, kindly people. The children see a sheep, a hen, fruit trees, bees, a cow, a churn, and wheat. Afterward, they have a picnic utilizing items that the farm produces: a wool blanket, eggs, plums, honey, milk, butter, and bread, along with a chocolate cake they have brought with them. Repetition and rhythm enliven the basic text, which ripples over double-page spreads of primitive-style figures and landscapes busy with patterns and brilliant with color. A warm and jolly way to discuss farm products.Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When two children visit a farm, they see a sheep, a hen, a cow, and a wheat field, among other things. With the farmer and his wife, they go on a picnic and bring a wool rug from the sheep, eggs from the hens, milk from the cow, and bread from the wheat fields. The catchy rhythm and cheerful illustrations in bright pastel shades make this a lively introduction to food and its sources. From HORN BOOK Fall 1998, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
All the goods from the animals and produce from the garden create a delicious picnic for a farmer, his wife, and their young visitors. As the farmer shows a group of kids around his farm, he points out first the creatures and plants that make up the farm, and then to the things they've contributed: a wool rug from the sheep, milk from the cows, fruit from the plum trees, and honey from the bees. The rhythm of the text``Plums, plums - picked from the trees,/Honey, honey - made by the bees''makes it ideal for chanting while stomping around a barnyard. Everyone gathers down by the stream for a feast of milk, bread, cake, and other good things in an idealized scene of rural bounty, but a cozy one; the primitive paintings in vibrant Easter-egg colors make for a very sunny outing. (Picture book. 4-6)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
