Farmer Brown Goes Round and Round

Sloat and Westcott, who teamed up for The Thing That Bothered Farmer Brown, offer tongue-twisting rhyme and two Farmer Brown-twisting tornadoes. As Farmer Brown completes his chores, a powerful wind sweeps him up along with all his animals. ""While clouds of sheep swirled through the air,/ The clothesline chased the goat and mare/ Until each one had on a pair/ Of Farmer Brown's plaid underwear!"" When the crowd crash-lands back in the barnyard, Farmer Brown discovers that something is amiss: ""His cows oinked,/ The pigs moo'd,/ His sheep clucked,/ The cat coo'd."" In the ensuing mayhem, sheep try to lay eggs, cows wallow in the mud and Farmer Brown crows ""Cock-a-doodle-doo!"" It takes the return of the twister to restore the group's proper personalities and behaviors. Sloat spins entertaining verse, and a silly mood prevails. Westcott composes cartoon voice bubbles that divulge a confused dog's ""neigh"" and a goat's ""meow."" Instead of illustrations that show the threatening storm, the whole cast suddenly appears in midair, wrapped in a swirl of white. The tornado theme may not be hilarious for Midwesterners, but if readers can handle The Wizard of Oz, this should be (ahem) a breeze. Ages 4-7. (Mar.)