With a trampoline promised as the grand prize, this year's local talent show is attracting lots of animal buzz. With the cows, sheep, and pigs all jockeying for position, Duck is eager to join the fray. Unfortunately, Farmer Brown has other ideas. A frolicking farmyard tale from the pair who cave us Click, Clack, Moo and Giggle, Giggle, Quack.
What do you get when a bunch of farm animals decide to enter a talent contest to win... a trampoline? Sounds like the latest joke at the watercooler, but it's just Cronin and Lewin (of Click, Clack, Moo fame) at it again, with an off-the-wall tale poised to deliver giggles galore. Here they reprise their bovine beauties crooning la Sinatra. But they are not the only contestants of the barnyard persuasion: the pigs practice an interpretive dance and Duck belts out his rendition of "Born to Be Wild" in performances sure to amuse young and adult readers alike. While children will enjoy the pure silliness of singing animals alone, older readers will appreciate Cronin's tongue-in-cheek asides, such as the footnote about the trampoline being "slightly used," along with a legal disclaimer. Lewin's expansive brush strokes pay further tribute to this tall tale of animals that sing and dance behind closed barn doors. By story's end, the animals have returned to their regular routines, except for the extra "boing" in their song-whose source comes clear in Lewin's closing image of the animals enjoying the well-earned prize. Fans will hope for many more farmyard adventures from this dynamic duo. Ages 3-7. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
K-Gr 3-When Duck discovers an ad in the paper announcing a talent show at the county fair (first prize, a slightly used trampoline), Farmer Brown's animals are unstoppable. The cows and sheep concentrate on their singing while the pigs work on interpretive dance. How the suspicious farmer could ever confuse all this noise with routine snoring is a bit of a stretch, but the hilarious late-night practice scenes inside the barn will help readers make the leap. At the talent show, the cows and sheep impress some of the judges, but lack of sleep has the pigs truly snoring when it is time to perform. Fortunately, Duck steps in to save the day with a winning version of "Born to Be Wild." After the talent show, Farmer Brown suspects nothing until he hears "boings" coming from the barn. Comical watercolor illustrations provide the punch lines to many jokes within the well-paced text. Some of the sophisticated humor will go over the heads of most children, especially the witty footnotes that pepper the story. However, like Click, Clack, Moo (2000) and Giggle, Giggle, Quack (2002, both S & S), this story makes a great read-aloud, and fans of the series will be ecstatic to see another episode of mischief in the barnyard.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Those self-actualized animals down at Farmer Brown's return for a welcome new caper. Their leader, Duck-who reads the farmer's newspaper daily-notes that the upcoming county fair will feature a talent show. Bent on first prize (a "slightly used" trampoline), he directs the cows' rehearsals of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," the sheep on "Home on the Range" and the pigs' slumber-inducing interpretive dance. Since Farmer Brown can't trust this crafty herd, he loads them into the truck, parks and heads off for the fair's free barbecue. The animals-naturally-enter the contest and perform, with decidedly mixed results, and it's Duck who once more brings home the bacon. When Farmer Brown resumes snooping outside the barn that night, he hears "Dooby, dooby BOING! Fa la, la, la BOING! Whacka, whacka BOING." Yet again, Lewin's watercolors delightfully extend Cronin's text. Her gestural black brushstrokes enliven everything from a bristly welcome mat to the animals' clandestinely pleased expressions as their duped farmer crowds them into the fair-bound truck. (Duck, of course, rides shotgun.) Great fun. (Picture book. 3-7)Those self-actualized animals down at Farmer Brown's return for a welcome new caper. Their leader, Duck-who reads the farmer's newspaper daily-notes that the upcoming county fair will feature a talent show. Bent on first prize (a "slightly used" trampoline), he directs the cows' rehearsals of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," the sheep on "Home on the Range" and the pigs' slumber-inducing interpretive dance. Since Farmer Brown can't trust this crafty herd, he loads them into the truck, parks and heads off for the fair's free barbecue. The animals-naturally-enter the contest andperform, with decidedly mixed results, and it's Duck who once more brings home the bacon. When Farmer Brown resumes snooping outside the barn that night, he hears "Dooby, dooby BOING! Fa la, la, la BOING! Whacka, whacka BOING." Yet again, Lewin's watercolors delightfully extend Cronin's text. Her gestural black brushstrokes enliven everything from a bristly welcome mat to the animals' clandestinely pleased expressions as their duped farmer crowds them into the fair-bound truck. (Duck, of course, rides shotgun.) Great fun. (Picture book. 3-7)
This work by the award-winning Cronin begs for music and gets it—and more. Music, voice, and soundscape blend into a magnificent story symphony. Randy Travis narrates with a drawl that fits the wacky farm where the animals are musical. Sheep baa “Home on the Range‚” cows moo “Twinkle, Twinkle,” and Duck, always the star of the barn, does a rendition of “Born to be Wild” that wins the animals a prize: a “slightly used” trampoline. The humorous asides embedded in the book’s illustrations don’t give Travis a second’s pause. He speed-reads the small print of the trampoline’s warranty and leaves room for snippets of Duck’s interspersed sarcastic comments and bizarre musical interpretations. Other tracks include read-along versions of the story and more of Duck’s performance, which may inspire singing along. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2008 Odyssey Honor, 2008 ALA Notable © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
