Is Everyone Ready for Fun?

Like a Saturday morning cartoon, Thomas's (Let's Count Goats!) rowdy characters and simple plot unfold in a series of scenes that build up to the one-joke resolution. The excitement begins even before the title page as three cows hop onto a small, red sofa%E2%80%94much to the chagrin of its owner, a flustered chicken%E2%80%94and one of them asks, "Is everyone ready for fun?" The sofa endures quite a beating as the cows demonstrate their definition of "fun" ("Jump! up and down, up and down. Let's all jump up and down!"), and Thomas's text repeats its pattern, teasing readers with an "It's time to..." as the cows try one forbidden activity after another. The chicken watches in horror, finally shouting "Enough! There will be no more jumping, dancing, or wiggling on my sofa!!" Thomas's illustrations energetically emphasize the cows' frenetic energy and the chicken's frustration, which are sure to draw giggles. When the cows decide that napping is the only thing left to do, collapsing in a heap on the sofa, it's not hard to imagine preschoolers doing the same. Ages 3%E2%80%935. (Sept.)