June 18, 2024by Viking Children's Books
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central
Sheep and Cow are very invested in their busy, hardworking farm, but latelyl things have not been optimal; their rooster has been sleeping in, so all of the other animals are not waking up on time and getting work done. Cow sets off to find a new rooster, and interviews some interesting candidates. There is a rooster who seems suitable, but who would rather ring a bell than cock-a-doodle-doo. A chicken applies and suggests that she will wake the farm with the smell of fresh brewed coffee. A small bird wants the job, mainly so he can push a button and wake everyone, but there is no button! Finally, an insensible blob applies, but since it can barely be understood, it's glossed over. It turns out that the rooster has turned the farm into a successful rock moosic venue, and that's why he hasn't been getting up until 2 p.m. A compromise is finally made; the four applicants will be hired, but it is their job to rouse the rooster, assure his sunrise performance, and then let him get back to sleep!
I love Falatko's Two Dogs in a Trench Coat middle grade series, and have to say that I am not the most enormous fans of picture books. They're often just silly and twee, and when my own children were small, I was often guilty of rearranging the stories to make them more interesting to ME. Falatko does this for discerning adults who want to be able to chuckle at books that they have to read night after night, and I appreciate that. There are plenty of highfalutin' vocab words, too, which is excellent; my daughter was routinely using the word "ostensibly" by the time she was four!
Young readers will find plenty of out and out goofiness in the story, but it's also a good book to introduce conversations about applying for jobs! How could Cow have advertised the job more effectively? What qualifications would you want in a rooster? I loved how the Help Wanted sign was updated every day a candidate was deemed unworthy!
The illustrations go well with the text, and have plenty of bright colors and exuberant details in the background. I love Cow's topknot, and in her overalls, she looks a little bit like my paternal grandmother! Stegmaier successfully anthropomorphizes the animals so that I really believed they could be running the farm. The rooster's denim jacket is inspired.
Even as the world gets further away from our agrarian past, books set on farms hold their appeal. While there are plenty of versions of The Little Red Hen or Old McDonald's Farm to fill the need for traditional information about farms, there need to be books for those of us who want a little snark along with the traditional red barn. Herd Help Wanted: One Rooster into a pen with Donaldson's A Squash and a Squeeze, Cronin and Lewin's Click Clack Moo Cows That Type, Schertle and McElmurry's Little Blue Truck, or Shaw's Sheep in a Jeep series, which was always a massive hit in my house years ago.
Messner, Kate and Ross, Heather (illustrations).
Sheep and Cow are very invested in their busy, hardworking farm, but latelyl things have not been optimal; their rooster has been sleeping in, so all of the other animals are not waking up on time and getting work done. Cow sets off to find a new rooster, and interviews some interesting candidates. There is a rooster who seems suitable, but who would rather ring a bell than cock-a-doodle-doo. A chicken applies and suggests that she will wake the farm with the smell of fresh brewed coffee. A small bird wants the job, mainly so he can push a button and wake everyone, but there is no button! Finally, an insensible blob applies, but since it can barely be understood, it's glossed over. It turns out that the rooster has turned the farm into a successful rock moosic venue, and that's why he hasn't been getting up until 2 p.m. A compromise is finally made; the four applicants will be hired, but it is their job to rouse the rooster, assure his sunrise performance, and then let him get back to sleep!
I love Falatko's Two Dogs in a Trench Coat middle grade series, and have to say that I am not the most enormous fans of picture books. They're often just silly and twee, and when my own children were small, I was often guilty of rearranging the stories to make them more interesting to ME. Falatko does this for discerning adults who want to be able to chuckle at books that they have to read night after night, and I appreciate that. There are plenty of highfalutin' vocab words, too, which is excellent; my daughter was routinely using the word "ostensibly" by the time she was four!
Young readers will find plenty of out and out goofiness in the story, but it's also a good book to introduce conversations about applying for jobs! How could Cow have advertised the job more effectively? What qualifications would you want in a rooster? I loved how the Help Wanted sign was updated every day a candidate was deemed unworthy!
The illustrations go well with the text, and have plenty of bright colors and exuberant details in the background. I love Cow's topknot, and in her overalls, she looks a little bit like my paternal grandmother! Stegmaier successfully anthropomorphizes the animals so that I really believed they could be running the farm. The rooster's denim jacket is inspired.
Even as the world gets further away from our agrarian past, books set on farms hold their appeal. While there are plenty of versions of The Little Red Hen or Old McDonald's Farm to fill the need for traditional information about farms, there need to be books for those of us who want a little snark along with the traditional red barn. Herd Help Wanted: One Rooster into a pen with Donaldson's A Squash and a Squeeze, Cronin and Lewin's Click Clack Moo Cows That Type, Schertle and McElmurry's Little Blue Truck, or Shaw's Sheep in a Jeep series, which was always a massive hit in my house years ago.
Fergus and Zeke and the Great Farm Field Trip
May 7, 2024 by Candlewick
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central
In this sixth adventure of Fergus and Zeke, Miss Maxwell has a surprise for the students, and this mice are interested as well. She brings in apples, and asks the children where they grow. The next day, she brings in vegetables, and even pots and dirt in which the children plant beans. They make posters showing how different plants grow. Neela talks about the fact that milk comes from cows, and while some kids don't like milk, they DO like ice cream. Fergus and Zeke are fond of cheese, so rather interested in the whole process. Miss Maxwell's surprise turns out to be a visit to a farm, where the children will pick apples and be able to take a pumpkin home. The trip to the farm is very exciting, and of course the mice manage to stow away in a back pack. Once there, the children get to sample honey, which Zeke manages to spill. Covered in the sticky stuff and separated from the class, he offers to be the tour guide for Fergus. The two try to gather and egg, to no avail, and are also unsuccessful in trying to milk a cow. None of the other animals seem pleased to see them, but they do have a good time swinging on a rope in the barn and lounging on a sunflower. They miss the school bus, but don't seem too concerned, and Miss Maxwell comes back to talk to the farmer, so they just barely manage to sneak into her tote bag and make it home. Back at school, Fergus and Zeke are glad to listen to the students share with them all about the trip, even though they were there!
This is a great early chapter book series for readers, and I especially appreciated the information that was shared about how plants grow and the different food products that come from bees and cows. The illustrations about the mice trying to milk the cows was very accurate, and I'm not surprised they weren't successful. I've seen middle school students who think that strawberries grow on trees, so this is really essential for young readers to understand. I definitely remember going to a Christmas tree farm in kindergarten, but budget cuts may mean that fewer students get to go on field trips. A virtual outing is better than none at all!
This is a great length for beginning readers to process, and the story moves quickly and has a lot of humor. Fergus and Zeke are a bit goofy, so it's fun to watch their exploits.
The fact that this is a series will encourage readers to pick up book after book. Fans of Jarvis' Bear and Bird, Michalak's Frank and Bean, Cordell's Poppy and Cornbread, and Clanton's Narwal and Jelly, and other dynamic duos will be glad to join these intrepid mice on further adventures.
This is a great length for beginning readers to process, and the story moves quickly and has a lot of humor. Fergus and Zeke are a bit goofy, so it's fun to watch their exploits.
The fact that this is a series will encourage readers to pick up book after book. Fans of Jarvis' Bear and Bird, Michalak's Frank and Bean, Cordell's Poppy and Cornbread, and Clanton's Narwal and Jelly, and other dynamic duos will be glad to join these intrepid mice on further adventures.
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