The Wonderful Hay Tumble - Hardcover

Kathleen McKinley Harris

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688071511 ISBN 13: 9780688071516

Publisher: Morrow Junior Books, 1988

Synopsis

A Vermont farmer finishes his chores quickly with the help of a rolling pile of hay.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

K-Gr 2 A young man and his wife struggle to make ends meet farming a Vermont hillside that is so steep and rocky that the cows have developed pointed jaws and short back legs. Attempting to lighten the chore load one day, the farmer decides to roll the hay downhill to the barn instead of carrying it load by load. The first hay tumble rolls merrily downhill, gathering speed and more tumbles. The giant ball leaps the barn, leaving other chores completed in its wakefrom neatly stacked sap buckets and a new stone wall to a cleaned mess of trout. It finally lands neatly on the wife's returning wagon. Gackenbach's humorous full-color illustrations fill each double-page spread, capturing the ramshackle farm and the chaotic action of the adventure. Even the animals are bursting with energy and expression. The dialogue is repetitive in places. However, the pattern in the text complements the tall tale style of story, and the illustrations carry the plot through to its satisfying conclusion. A fun tale to read aloud for groups or one on one. Marion B. Hanes, New York Public Library

Copyright 1988 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

This wacky homegrown folktale relates the trials of a poor Vermont couple who buy land that is hilly, a "pile-of-rocks" farm, where it's all they can do just to stay alive with their baby. One day, the farmer gets an idea. He decides that instead of raking together his tumbles of hay, he'll just push them down the hill. He gives one tumble a shove and down it goes, growing bigger and bigger, gaining momentum as it gathers more hay. The tumble hurtles all over the farm, clearing pastures of rocks, building new walls, chopping logs and generally turning the place into a working farm. "And that was the start of good fortune for the poor young man and his wife." Gackenbach's lively illustrations nicely reflect Harris's sprightly tale; both storyteller and artist give the tall tale elements their due, exaggerating the details with aplomb. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Morrow Junior Books
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0688071511
• ISBN 13: 9780688071516
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Dick Gackenbach