It's funny business as usual down on the Brown farm, as droll Duck and those literate cows from Cronin and Lewin's Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type
return in this conceptual romp for younger readers. It seems the cows have tapped out their latest directive and it involves Duck's help in its implementation. In a jovial, bouncy tone, Cronin crafts alliterative phrases beginning with each letter of the alphabet (e.g., "Goats grooming, hens helping, inchworms inching. Jumpity-jump!") to tell the simple tale of a pleasant Duck-led summer outing. As readers follow Duck and his red wagon through the pages, they also waddle through their ABC's: each lower-case letter is highlighted in a large typeface, alongside the appropriate words and images. Eventually, the cast of critters ends up where X marks the perfect spot for a picnic, replete with plenty of "watermelons waiting." Lewin's loose, thickly outlined watercolors keep readers in playful suspense along the way, dropping visual hints for eagle-eye observers. Her sunny depictions of this barnyard bunch brim with personality and humorous detail. Ages 2-5. (Oct.)
