Hey, Hey, Hay!

K-Gr 2—Mihaly has penned an ode to the summertime harvest of hay in this terse picture book. The author energetically portrays the rural tradition of baling hay with bouncing verse and rhyming phrases. The child in the story expresses her tale "of storing summer in a bale." The imagery of the fresh smell of hay "like summer sun" takes the narrator back from winter to the baling season. Framed by seasons and organized by the types of machinery used, this tale explains the hay-baling process from start to finish. Cepeda's warm paintings convey the experience of this element of agricultural life with the palate and tone of a waning summer. A glossary of terms is included to explain the specific vocabulary, such as tedder and windrows. Also included in the back matter is a recipe for making switchel, a customary drink made with apple cider vinegar and maple syrup. The book concludes with its titular pun "hay hay hey!"