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Reviewed by:
  • Cock-a-doodle-doo, Creak, Pop-pop, Moo
  • Hope Morrison
Aylesworth, Jim . Cock-a-doodle-doo, Creak, Pop-pop, Moo; illus. by Brad Sneed. Holiday House, 2012. 32p. ISBN 978-0-8234-2356-9 $16.95 R 3-6 yrs.

This verse celebration of a day in the life of a big farm family is rich with musical rhymes, lilting phrases, and onomatopoeic details. It begins with the rooster's crow, then breakfast ("Ham pop-pops/ in the frying pan") then follows the various members of the family through their daily tasks. Animal activity is also included, from the "Yip, yip, yip" of the pups to the "smack smack" of the cud-chewing cows, to the grunting pigs, wallowing in the cool mud. While there is certainly no shortage of picture books depicting life on a farm, this one is notable both for its diversity of activities and its bouncy narrative line; the verses beg to be read aloud, and the picturesque language draws a detailed picture of the work being done around the farm. Sneed's watercolor illustrations, inspired, according to a note, by the American [End Page 548] regionalists such as Thomas Hart Benton, offer portraits that are both larger than life and firmly grounded in reality. Bodies are slightly exaggerated, with large heads and lengthy limbs extending from smaller bodies, but the style works well in juxtaposition with the family farm tale. Audiences and readers-aloud alike will delight in this engaging exploration of farm life.

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