Farmyard Beat

April 11, 2011
Craig and Brown are again in playful sync in this rhythmic companion to Dancing Feet! (2010). Reviving the cut-paper collage style he debuted in that book, Brown demonstrates that he's mastered the medium. Hand-painted papers cut into basic geometric shapes create animals and scenes composed of a boldly contrasting amalgam of textures and patterns; his palette incorporates soft pastels, earth tones, and primary colors set against deeply hued, striped backdrops. Using bouncy repetition, Craig explains that farm animals are too busy dancing to sleep: "Chicks can't sleep./ Chicks can't sleep./ Chicks can't sleep 'cause they got that beat!" Each species has its own beat and rhyme scheme, which usually relates to the sound the animal makes, and also leads into whatever animal is next seen busting a move ("Puuurrrr! Mee-ooow!/ Puuurrrr! Mee-ooow!/ All that racket wakes up... Cow!"). Although all the animals (as well as pigtailed Farmer Sue, who comes out to investigate all the noise) eventually "fall in a heap! Asleep!" the emphasis rests squarely on the joy of exuberant, slightly mischievous dancing. A calming bedtime book this is not. Ages 1â4.

May 15, 2011

When the sun goes down, the farmyard animals are supposed to go to sleep. But wait: "Chicks can't sleep. Chicks can't sleep. / Chicks can't sleep / 'cause they got the beat!"

The sheep, cat, cow and dog can't sleep either because they've got the beat, too. Here comes Farmer Sue, and she can't sleep either, so everyone dances to the beat, "T-I-L-L... / ... they fall in a heap! / Asleep!" The collage art (hand-painted on corrugated-looking and other found papers) is similar to the duo's Dancing Feet! (2010) and a total departure from Brown's style in his Arthur books. The jazzed-up animals are shaped with textured cut-out pieces that form the assemblage, which pops against the black-and-purple striped backgrounds. Colors are largely those found in nature, though judicious use of pinks on noses, tongues and the insides of ears keep the figures from looking anything but dull; they definitely have child appeal. The story ends with the rooster (a spectacle in blue, lavender and crimson) crowing, "Cock-a-doodle-doo! / I've got the beat!"

It won't take but one or two readings before kids join right in with the syncopated fun. (Picture book. 3-6)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 1, 2011

PreS-K-Craig and Brown, creators of Dancing Feet! (Knopf, 2010), have produced another toe-tapper starring a cast of jubilant farm animals. The creatures can't sleep because "they got that beat." The chicks begin the party, waking the sheep. Soon the cat, cows, and dog join in on the fun. The residents of the farmyard make quite a racket. "Peep! Peep! Peep-peep-peep!" chirp the chicks. "Puuurrrr! Mee-ooow!" says the cat, while Hank, the dog, "How-wooooo!'s" and the cows "Swish!" and "Clank!" as they frolic. When the owl gives a warning, the dancers suspend the festivities for a breathless moment and Sue, the young farmer, approaches. Luckily, she can't resist the beat, and everyone dances until "they fall in a heap! Asleep!" Brown's cheerful collage illustrations enliven the rhyming verse. Each spread features a variety of shapes, textures, and patterns. The smiling characters, constructed from geometric shapes of hand-painted paper, cavort over the verdant lawn against a shadowy background of deep blue stripes. Pair this syncopated title with another comical barnyard story, Doreen Cronin's Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (S & S, 2000), for a fun-filled bedtime storyhour.-Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2011
Preschool Chicks can't sleep / 'cause they got that beat! / Peep! Peep! Peep-peep-peep! . . . All that peeping wakes up Sheep! The repetition, rhythm, and sounds of the words are a big part of the fun in this picture book and will have toddlers chanting the animal sounds, joining in the dancing action, and pointing at the farmyard chaos illustrated in the large, bright, hand-painted paper collage artwork. Swish! Clank! Swish-swish! Clank! All that racket wakes up / Hank! Kids will love to hear the noisy words over and over again, especially when they look closely and discover the playful details in the packed pictures. Although this may be the opposite of a lullaby, the wry ending, with the picture of the animal crowd all cuddled up together (Everyone's dancing to that beat 'till . . . they fall in a heap! / Asleep!), is as cozy as it gets.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)