Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Feek has written two bestselling adult memoirs about life on his Tennessee farm, and he's half of country music duo Joey+Rory, which he formed with his late wife. It's no surprise, then, that in his first book for children, the setting is a barnyard. From a barn window, a cow looks out longingly at a horse cantering in a nearby field: "If I were a horse, I could run free all day," the cow muses. Then it tries out its horse persona, letting out "a big... NEIGH!" Each spread follows a similar pattern: an animal thinks another has a better deal and, as a first step toward enjoying that creature's appealing life, lets out its signature call, from quacks to oinks. The story could have wrapped up with reminders to find gratitude for one's own gifts and avoid the perils of a grass-is-greener outlook, but Feek keeps both the mood and message light with a conclusion that celebrates silliness. Together with Robert's expressive, cartoon-bright illustrations, the playful text, filled with sound effects and refrains, will likely encourage rowdy, participatory read-alouds. Ages 3-6. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Envy on the farm has animals wishing they could each behave and speak like the otherwith inane results.The cow in the barn observes the horse in the field and thinks, "If I were a horse, I could run free all day." To emphasize his desire, he lets out a "NEIGH!" (Yes, this cow is gendered male.) The horse, on the other hand, looks at the duck swimming in the pond and laments, "If I were a duck, bet they'd stay off my back." With that, a "QUACK" bolsters his view. In turn, the duck longs for a winter coat like the sheep, the sheep wants to dig in the mud like the pig, the pig wants to be tough like the guard dog, the dog wants to be inside like the cat, and the cat longs to be a man like the farmer. Each makes the iconic sound of the animal he wishes to be, creating a cacophony of mixed-up noises. After the cat says "Hello," the surprised farmer decides to join in the fun and produces "a bigMOOOOOO!" Bright paintings in an expressive animated style add to the humor of the rhyming narrative. Preschoolers will surely giggle at the erroneous sounds coming out of each animal and perhaps suppress an urge to correct. The farmer presents white.Though there's no real resolution, the concept of pure fun will surely resonate. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
