Old Mikamba Had a Farm by Rachel Isadora (review)

Old Mikamba may have a farm, but it’s a game farm on the African plains, and the animals on his farm are a far cry from the typical cow/pig/chicken that hang out with Old MacDonald. Here, baboons, zebras, and elephants share space with rhinos, giraffes, and cheetahs, each getting a verse in this adaptation of the traditional tune. This version lacks the original’s cumulative pattern, but there’s still a numbing amount of repetition, particularly because fourteen different animals making fourteen different sounds are featured. Young listeners, though, may forgive the length in the name of acquiring a whole new lot of animal sounds to produce, from the “honk-honk” of the wildebeest to the “chirp-chirp” of the ostrich. Isadora’s collage work employs oil paints, printed paper, palette paper, ink, and pencil to compose the menagerie of wildlife; the cut paper is by far the most striking, incorporating elements of texture and pattern into the compositions; patterned borders are an element too many in some spreads, drawing focus from the intriguingly composed figures. There is still plenty of use here for animal-themed storytimes, and the list of facts about each animal at the end of the book may please young animal lovers looking to add to their arsenal of information.