Punk Farm - Hardcover

JARRETT J. KROSOCZKA is the author and illustrator of eight other Lunch Lady graphic novels, as well as numerous popular picture books, including Ollie the Purple Elephant, Punk Farm, Punk Farm on Tour, Max for President, and Baghead. 

Kindergarten-Grade 2-After Farmer Joe heads to bed, Cow, Goat, Pig, Sheep, and Chicken pull out their instruments and electronic equipment, don their shades, and transform themselves into the rock band Punk Farm. Animals line up outside the barn to buy tickets, then settle in for a rousing show featuring a way-out version of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm," with each musician doing a solo. At sunrise, a none-the-wiser Farmer Joe finds his sound-asleep livestock not quite ready for "a big day of work." Single- and double-page cartoon-style paintings combine muddy and bold colors to contrast the earthy farm setting with the energy, edginess, and excitement of the concert. Print, mostly white drop-out, is used effectively, juxtaposing traditional block style for the narrative with a larger, more graphic layout of the same typeface to suggest the distinctive musical sound. The eye-popping orange and purple front cover sets the scene and contrasts with the muted blues, browns, and greens of the back cover depicting the fabulous five in the barnyard, post-event. The fun is carried onto the endpapers, which feature a montage of posters, torn tickets, publicity "photos" of the band, and scrawled notebook pages. Quite a romp.-Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
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