Picnic Farm - Hardcover

This British import takes a merry and unique approach to a favorite preschool landscape, the farm. Spelled out in typography that undulates through the spreads, Morton's (The Pig That Barked) story couldn't be simpler. First, a farmer and his wife lead a girl and boy on a tour of their farm: "A cow, a cow?a chewing cow./ A churn, a churn?a turning churn." Then readers learn that everything they have seen leads in some way to a delicious picnic meal at the book's finish: "Milk, milk?milked from the cow./ Butter, butter?made in the churn." After the quartet consumes their meal al fresco, they nap "on the good green grass." Barringer's rollicking, full-bleed illustrations are rendered in densely applied candy colors of grape, orange, butterscotch and lime, and everything in her sunny landscape is plump and happy, from the roly-poly farmer and his zaftig wife and animals to the patchwork-like hills. The gentle reggae beat of the text, the multi-ethnic cast of characters and the vibrant palette all contribute to a tropical twist on the usual corn-fed setting. Ages 1-3.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 2^-5. Eye-catching artwork distinguishes this otherwise ordinary picture book about two children visiting a farm, then picnicking on the food the farm produces. The text follows a predictable pattern to describe what the children experience as they tour the farm: "A cow, a cow--a chewing cow"; "Milk, milk--milked from the cow." There are concepts to be learned here, particularly for very young children and those living in urban areas, but the text seems rather lifeless, especially compared with the exuberant art. Bright, cheerful colors, used very creatively (Whoever heard of pink hills or yellow sky?), appear in pleasing compositions, heightened by an assortment of dots, swirls, and stripes. The book will work well in a toddler story time revolving around a farm or food theme, and it will definitely attract browsers if it is left out on a display table. Lauren Peterson