Hey, Hey, Hay!

June 1, 2018

K-Gr 2-Mihaly has penned an ode to the summertime harvest of hay in this terse picture book. The author energetically portrays the rural tradition of baling hay with bouncing verse and rhyming phrases. The child in the story expresses her tale "of storing summer in a bale." The imagery of the fresh smell of hay "like summer sun" takes the narrator back from winter to the baling season. Framed by seasons and organized by the types of machinery used, this tale explains the hay-baling process from start to finish. Cepeda's warm paintings convey the experience of this element of agricultural life with the palate and tone of a waning summer. A glossary of terms is included to explain the specific vocabulary, such as tedder and windrows. Also included in the back matter is a recipe for making switchel, a customary drink made with apple cider vinegar and maple syrup. The book concludes with its titular pun "hay hay hey!" VERDICT A simple lyrical picture book celebrating one aspect of agricultural communities.-Jamie Jensen, Wayne Cox Elementary School, Roanoke, TX

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June 1, 2018
A rhyming tale of hay, from field to bale.In a twist on traditional work roles, this mother-daughter team tackles the job of harvesting hay. They start by cutting it ("Mower blades slice through the grass. / A new row falls with every pass. / Stalks and stems are scattered 'round. / The scents of new-mown plants abound"). Then they use the tedder to aerate the pieces. After that, the hay dries under the warm sun. This gives the mother and daughter time to gulp a mug of switchel--a refreshing gingery drink (recipe included)--and nibble a piece of cake. Then the narrative reaches the part of the process most recognizable to young tots: rolling the hay into huge, circular mounds. Debut picture-book author Mihaly shares the true secret of hay bales--a tiny bit of summer is trapped inside each one, ready to burst out when opened on a winter's day. Snappy, economic rhymes capture the entire process of a far-from-oft-told farm chore, while Cepeda's oil-over-acrylic medium heightens the muddied, earthy environment. Mother and daughter are depicted with olive skin and straight, dark-brown hair.Even urban readers will cheer; in fact, the title commands it. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 3-6)

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August 20, 2018
This nostalgic, rhyming ode to baling hay is narrated by a girl whose broad grin makes clear her love for farm life. As she feeds a horse in winter, she recounts “the tale/ of storing summer in a bale./ Every June, when grass turns green,/ our hayfield makes a pretty scene.” In Cepeda’s sophisticated art, the girl trades her barn coat for overalls and details how she and her mother mow with a red tractor and “Run the tedder through/ to fluff the grass and dry the dew.” After a break to let the hay dry, they roll out their blue baler and then store the bales in the barn. Tool and truck enthusiasts will enjoy the descriptive content (Mihaly includes an end list of “haymaking words”). Cepeda uses thick painterly layers to capture the beauty and brilliance of summer fields and changing skies. Ages 4–8.