The Farmer's Away! Baa! Neigh!

K-Gr 2—Told in rhythmic onomatopoeia and rhyme, this tale is about farm animals that wait until the farmer heads out into the fields to cut loose. While he's working aw ay, they tube down the stream, have a picnic, ride a roller coaster, and literally have a ball. However, when they see the farmer returning with the setting sun, they race back to the farmyard and resume grazing near the barn. There are no actual words to the story, only animal noises: "Neigh neigh baa baa quack quack tweet/arf oink ree ree cluck cluck cheep!" It is the bright colored pencil and acrylic illustrations that tell the story. The animal faces are comical and expressive, and the rhythmic text may appeal to the ears of the littlest ones. However, they may not catch the humor in the pictures. Older children, though, will relish the silly pictures and may find humor in the nonsense words. A high-spirited addition.—Emily E. Lazio, The Smithtown Special Library District, NY