Cows in the Kitchen - Hardcover

Crebbin, June

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763606456 ISBN 13: 9780763606459

Publisher: Candlewick, 1998

Synopsis

Tom Farmer wakes up to mischief in a sprightly read-aloud that children will scramble to participate in.

While Tom Farmer naps in the haystack, his animals take over the farmhouse. There are cows in the kitchen, ducks in the cupboard, hens on the hat stand, pigs in the pantry, and even sheep on the sofa! What will happen when Tom Farmer wakes up? June Crebbin's boisterous text—a wild and wacky version of a nursery song modeled on "Skip to My Lou"—and Katharine McEwen's spririted illustrations combine for some riotous barnyard fun.

About this title

About the Author:

June Crebbin taught school before retiring in order to devote herself entirely to writing. She says, "While I was visiting the preschool-aged children at the school where I used to teach, they were singing a version of 'Cows in the Kitchen.' I thought it was so much fun that it inspired me to write my own!"

Katharine McEwen recently graduated from a three-year course in illustration. "What I like about this story," she says, "is the mischievous nature of all the animals. I loved painting the chaos they caused, especially in the final pages."

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-K-Mischief-making barnyard animals and a tired farmer interact in this picture book based on a folk song. The rhythmic verses follow the pattern of "Skip to My Lou": "Cows in the kitchen, moo, moo, moo,/Cows in the kitchen, moo, moo, moo,/Cows in the kitchen, moo, moo, moo./That's what we do, Tom Farmer!" The accompanying two-page spread shows three bovines happily breaking dishes, licking food, and balancing items on their horns. The story continues with "ducks in the dishes," "pigs in the pantry," "hens on the hat stand," and "sheep on the sofa." Finally, the animals wake Tom Farmer from his haystack nap. When he shoos them out into the farmyard, they burst into the house again and make as much trouble as before. The story is slight, but the strong rhythm and repetition are sure to invite participation. Watercolor and pencil illustrations catch the spirit of fun. The stiff flatness of the simply drawn animals and the details of their activities are amusing rather than hilarious. Neither words nor pictures match the cleverness of Nadine Westcott's Skip to My Lou (Joy Street, 1989), Nancy Shaw's Sheep in a Jeep (Houghton, 1986), or Rhonda Gowler Greene's Barnyard Song (Atheneum, 1997), but kids will still enjoy this farmyard fracas.
Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0763606456
• ISBN 13: 9780763606459
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: McEwen Katharine