It's curious to me, but children's books seem to manifest themes in certain years rather like the collective unconcious is in control of the marketplace. One of last year's most predominate theme was FARMS. And a very good subject it is, for small children who love the sounds, the animal identification and the fun of farm.
There are several new books for the very youngest farm animal appreciator. In Lucy Cousins' board book, Farm Animals, duck, hen and others appear with simple labels and equally plain child-like paintings on bright backgrounds. Ages 6 months-2 yrs. (Tambourine, Morrow, 1991) Lucy Cousin's brilliant colors find a cloth book format in Hen on the Farm, one of a series of four cloth books released by Candlewick Press.(1992)
There is a Farm Animals volume in the new EyeOpeners series, a first non-fiction for toddlers. Here the horses, pigs, etc. are represented in several ways. A large and beautiful photograph commands attention in the center of a two-paged spread. Smaller drawings detail in an old-fashioned style the animal in daily life and the animal's body parts are often detailed as well. The text is a good blend of information, some old and some new. Ages 2-4. (Aladdin Books, Macmillan, 1991)
Many farm books have a rollicking playful vitality that encourages participation. One of the most famous farm figures to small children is Old MacDonald. Glen Rounds illustrates the fowl and beasts with full page illustrations and large-printed verses that are easy to follow while dramatizing for your baby. The author-illustrator ends with what he does best--a quirky twist that lifts the simple song into another realm as a skunk (with a "peeyoo") enters and the farmer exits with a speedy clip and a nose held against the odor. Ages 0-5. (Holiday House, 1989)
Over in the Meadow: An Old Counting Rhyme has been newly illustrated by David Carter. The song accents both the actions of animals around farm and meadow as it counts them. There are rhymes, animal sounds, and the bond of mother animals and their young as The song is filled with interesting words that will pleasure young toddlers as lizards bask and ratties gnaw. Ages 0-5. ((Scholastic, 1992)
Each page of Sue William's I Went Walking begins with the repeated phrase, "I went walking, what did you see?" and then a child guesses the animal to follow from a tail or other part. Illustrations by Julie Vivas are whimsical and playful and yet the way the child stoops and the animal respond seem very realistic. Ages 1-5. (HBJ, 1989)
In Spots Feathers and Curly Tails, Nancy Tafuri asks questions about common farm animals and her illustrations show part of the animal in question. The following page reveals the entire animal and the answer, so that a young child when asked, "What has spots?" finds with a page turn that "A cow has spots." Toddlers have a love for animal noises and so will enjoy animating the illustrations even more fully. This book begins work on a very basic reading skill of going from part to whole and gives a toddler the same joy and surprise as a good game of peek-a-boo. Ages 18 mo.- 3yrs. (Greenwillow, 1988 )
Barnyard Tracks written by Dee Dee Duffy and illustrated by Janet Marshall is also a participatory guessing book. There is an additional clue of animal tracks and a repeated phrase , "Look! I see some animal tracks./ Listen! I hear mooo! Who's there?/ It's the cow." There's a bit of story too, for near the end comes a sudden burst of animal noise prompted by the arrival of a fox. Then back to the calm and pattern comes the farmer and "big people tracks" to scare the fox away. Illustrations are a sunny as a bright country day! Ages 2-5. (Bell Books, Boyds Mills Press, Inc., 1992)
It seems that most toddlers are enchanted with the sounds of the animal world. In fact, they'd often rather speak animal sounds than people sounds. This natural enjoyment is accented in Eric Carle's The Very Busy Spider. The spider, hard at work building her web, is continually disturbed by her noisy animal friends. Mr. Carle, who knows well the mind of a young child, has raised all the lines of the web, to add a tactile pleasure for the participating listener. This book now comes in a small carry-around size. Toddlers will also enjoy the participation of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar which comes peppered with objects a young child loves naming and with small caterpillar holes for little fingers to feel. Ages 1-5. (both from Philomel)
Sounds abound in Craig Brown's My Barn. The book is one extended refrain of animal sounds in a framework that begins, "I like the sound" and is followed with a long dramatic animal noise. The chorus ends with a last line that defines the beastie who makes the sound...that is if babies can wait for the explanation because they may be moved by the excitement to call out the animals themselves. The finale ties up all the noises with "I love all the sounds...all the sounds on my farm." Pointilistic pictures show the farmer in relationship with the soundmakers. My daughter quickly taught me that this is also a great book for a young reader who enjoys making sounds. Ages 1-5. (Greenwillow, 1991)
Marni McGee creates in her Quiet Farmer lyrical verses that will entertain a young child with unusual noises that more truly represent farm sounds than those that are more typically heard. She also celebrates the truth of a farmer's life by describing it with a long string of activities that made my young daughter realize how hard a farmer works. Ms. McGee ends with a serene pause that has tones of a lullaby for sleepy children, who like the farmer, finally require rest after a long full day. Ms. McGee's book also succeeds on a parent appeal level because of its subtle underpinnings. The farmer, surrounded by a flurry of action, counterbalances with his solid, comforting inner tranquility. In these days where life for children and adults is overbusy, it is wonderful to see a role model who is satisfied with a quiet life. Illustrations by Lynne Dennis are soft as the text and portray the farmer of smaller child-like size, setting child viewers to dream. Ages 2-6. (Atheneum, 1991)
Going to Sleep on the Farm by Wendy Cheyette Lewison is a lovely wind-down for bed. The format alternates between a small sleepy boy in pajamas, playing with a toy farm and asking his dad about how the animals bed down. The father's answers are shown in a series of realistic portraits of the animal relaxing into sleep. The patterns of question and answer are natural, lyrical, and restful. "How does a cow go to sleep-tell me how? How does a cow go to sleep?" asks the boy. And the father answers, "A cow lies down in the soft, sweet hay, in a cozy barn, at the end of day. And that's how the cow goes to sleep--moo-moo. That's how a cow goes to sleep." Illustrations by Juan Wijngaard subtly show the nuances of a tender relationship as the father warmly interacting, checks his watch and finally bundles his boy into bed." Ages 2-5. (Dial, 1992)
Good farm stories, because of their appeal for the younger set, often give rise to formatting that really works for toddlers. The cumulative tale of Hattie and the Fox, by Mem Fox tells of a big black hen who spies a nose, two eyes, two ears, two legs and the body of a fox in the bushes. Each time she spots a body part she calls out to her farmyard compatriots. They greet her alarm with nonchalance. That is until the fox appears in entirety and then the animals' chorus changes drastically. Illustrations by Patricia Mullins are a harmony of realism and artistry, collage and drawing. Ages 1-6. (Bradbury, 1987)
Older toddlers are ready for a bit more story. Silly and rhythmic is Bill Grossman's Donna O'Neeshuck Was Chased By Some Cows. The title gives you a strong sense of the plot, but you'll have to experience for yourself the comic situations, the rollicking rhythms, the hilarity of the chase, the wildness of the illustrations, the building of the climax and the satisfaction of the ending. Ages 3-6. (HarperCollins, 1988)
There's a stronger sense of plot for a child who is beginning to appreciate story in Patricia Brennan Demuth's The Ornery Morning. The "pack of wacky trouble" begins when Farmer Bill's rooster won't crow, the Cow won't give milk..." on and on until the whole farm seems to have gone on strike. It is Daughter who solves the problem in a fitting way. Ms. Demuth supports a young listener with funny responses, repeating words, lots of sounds and lovely cadences. Ages 3-6. (Dutton, 1991)
Ron Hirschi's Harvest Song is a lyrical celebration of a small girl's visit to her grandmother's farm. Even ordinary events like morning potato cakes cooking, fishing for supper, and planting seed potatoes are special. Sights, sounds, smells abound and there are farm and family myths, songs, and traditions and celebrations besides. Deborah Haeffele's paintings capture the colors of changing seasons, the emotional bond of young and old, the enchantment a dark field lit with white flowers that mirror the star-filled sky. Ages 4-8. (Cobblehill, 1991)
I don't think I've read a farm stories that doesn't have a sense of drama. They work best if you prepare yourself. Ready yourself emotionally to fill your book sharing with read-aloud theater. You might also want to pour yourself a big glass of water to freshen your voice periodically. It's amazing to me that small children learn to love animal sounds so early. Don't be surprised to have them happily join in your sound adventure or interrupt you by excitedly calling out the name of the animal that makes the noise! I notice that it's mostly my husband that gets rowdy with my kids and perhaps that's what I most appreciate about farm books. Most farm books are not quiet reads, they make for playful, boisterous reading excursions with your child.