E-I-E-I-Oh-No.
THREE PROS
*In a world where things become outdated in roughly six months, it's nice to have a few classics on hand for sentimental saps like myself
*The green text on the white background is easy on the eyes and breaks out in line with the cadence we all know and (maybe) love
*I never really thought about how easy it is to make a book from a recognizable song, but thumbing through this has given me some ideas
*I never really thought about how easy it is to make a book from a recognizable song, but thumbing through this has given me some ideas
THREE CONS
*Wow, those last two pages Rosemary Wells put in there were essentially her way of saying "you know what, rather than putting some real effort into this, I'll just challenge my readers to do the work for me"
*Wait, I thought MacDonald was supposed to be old -- so how come the bunny isn't drawn with even one identifiable detail we associate with the geriatric set
*Wait, I thought MacDonald was supposed to be old -- so how come the bunny isn't drawn with even one identifiable detail we associate with the geriatric set
*Are those lettuce heads growing on the ground or are they leaves or perhaps some sort of alien goo
ONE DAD'S OPINION
Maybe I'm expecting too much from a simple story based on an even simpler children's tune. Sure, it can be argued that there's only so much an author could do with that material. And, had the book not unfolded the way it did, I might actually agree with that line of reasoning. But once Wells opened the door to the other animals on the farm in such a hasty manner, that's where she lost me. If she had limited it to just one verse about the ducks, I still wouldn't have liked it that much, but at least I would have respected it more. Had Scholastic Press suggested the inclusion of a child-activated animal wheel for interactivity, then we might be looking at a Borrow or better. Instead we are left with a blase Donate not really worth anyone's time.
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
ONE DAD'S OPINION
Maybe I'm expecting too much from a simple story based on an even simpler children's tune. Sure, it can be argued that there's only so much an author could do with that material. And, had the book not unfolded the way it did, I might actually agree with that line of reasoning. But once Wells opened the door to the other animals on the farm in such a hasty manner, that's where she lost me. If she had limited it to just one verse about the ducks, I still wouldn't have liked it that much, but at least I would have respected it more. Had Scholastic Press suggested the inclusion of a child-activated animal wheel for interactivity, then we might be looking at a Borrow or better. Instead we are left with a blase Donate not really worth anyone's time.
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
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