Display: Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Written by Deborah Underwood

Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

New York: Clarion Books, 2024. Picture book.

There once was a man who loved his tidy home and who didn't like animals. Then one day, a cat appeared. The man and the cat both liked napping and watching the rain and eating dinner precisely at six. Well, maybe this one animal could stay. Next came a dog ... —Publisher

Farm Lullaby

Written by Karen Jameson

Illustrated by Wednesday Kirwan

San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 2021. Picture book.

Every animal on the farm, from the horses to the mice, has its own bedtime ritual for a good night's sleep. —Editor

Miss MacDonald Has a Farm

Written by Kate Gwarjanski

Illustrated by Elizabet Vukovic

New York: Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2024. Picture book.

In this female-forward spin on the traditional children's song, readers meet Miss MacDonald on her vegetable farm and learn about gardening, seasons, plant-based meals, and local produce —Publisher

E-I-UFO: Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Written by Zach Von Zonk

Illustrated by Benjamin Chaud

San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 2025. Picture book.

When a spaceship visits Old MacDonald's farm chaos ensues as the farm animals make a mess of Old MacMartian's vessel. —Editor

Chicken Dance

Written by Tammi Sauer

Illustrated by Dan Santat

New York: Sterling, 2009. Picture book.

Determined to win tickets to an Elvis Poultry concert, hens Marge and Lola enter the Barnyard Talent Show, then, while the ducks who usually win the contest jeer, they test out their abilities. —Editor

Comments

Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

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