Pig in a Barrow

Rhyming verses and illustrations depict various farm animals

PreSchool-Grade 2-- The expansive illustrations here, careful full-color pictures verging on airbrushed photographs, accompany modern nursery rhymes, some of them with nearly improbable circumstances--a mother duck looks down into a dishpan where her ducklings swim about with a rubber duckie who looks like kin but isn't; a piglet in a wheelbarrow sits on a nest of turnips with gorgeous greens, happily munching on one. Although these situations might happen, they're just unlikely, not hilariously incredible. The rhymes are simple and regular, but not noteworthy. The topics and the lack of backgrounds in the pictures suggest that the rhymes are simply an occasion to show off the illustrations. The large scale of the book and the generous use of white space make the pages turn, but this is not a book that will bear much rereading. --Ruth K. MacDonald, Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, IN
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In this whimsical outing, simple rhymes gently reveal the everyday activities of common animals and birds. A baby bird chirps to her parents that she wants to be fed; a curious ferret pokes his head out of watering can and doesn't notice the rabbit hiding beside it. Basic concepts such as the importance of food and habitat and relationships--exhibited by a parent's concern for its young--are subtly interwoven within the verses. Maternal pride is evidenced, for example, when "The hen in a bucket / Watches her chick, / Who's learning to balance-- / A difficult trick." Kitchen's expertly rendered paintings are rich in the subdued colors of nature, and the varying textures of common elements such as wood, grass and water are carefully maintained. The large format and inherent diversity of the animals depicted offer many interesting details that can be digested quietly or used as a springboard for discussions. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

As in Gorilla, Chinchilla (1990), some rather inane verse (``The hen in a bucket/Watches her chick,/Who's learning to balance--/A difficult trick'') serves to caption some odd pairings, in this case of animals and their containers. Kitchen's art is still wonderfully detailed and appealing, but there's nothing very clever here in either the choice of subjects or their treatment. For admirers of Kitchens's splendid Animal Alphabet (1984), a disappointment. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.