Old MacDonald Drives A Tractor

Old MacDonald Drives a Tractor

From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 2-Carter's playful take on the classic song is destined to be a storytime hit. A tractor peeks out from behind the barn doors on the title page, and then it's off to work as Old MacDonald takes it out to the fields for plowing, fertilizing, harvesting, and more. The bouncy text follows the pattern of the familiar song, and kids will love the sound effects, like the seed drill's "Pfffft, pfffft." And if some of the text works a little too hard to fit into the expected rhythm ("Smooth it here./Smooth it there./Maybe Old MacDonald/could find a cultivator.../for his hair!"), kids will be too busy giggling at the artwork to notice (e.g., one scene shows the farmer running under his water sprayer in his underwear on a hot day). Carter's uniquely textured illustrations, created from foam board, drywall compound, and acrylic paint, nearly leap off the pages. As an added bonus, different animals appear throughout, enabling the pictures to be used for the traditional verses as well. Add this one to your programming resource shelf.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MDCopyright