Wake Up, Rupert!

Twohy (Outfoxed) starts with a simple barnyard premise—Rupert the rooster objects to having to wake up early every morning—and follows it to its catastrophic conclusion, firing up the pages with plenty of physical comedy. After Rupert’s friend Sherman the sheep offers to take on the waking-up duties, Rupert prepares for a luxurious late morning. Instead, the entire farm is awakened in the middle of the night by a mighty chorus of sheep, recruited by Sherman to augment his own feeble baaing. Chaos ensues as the farmer’s children droop like zombies at the bus stop, and “the cows walked right past the milking barn, clomped into the kitchen, and ate all the pancakes!” Extra laughs come from Twohy’s focus on his characters’ neuroses. Rupert whines, “I need a lot more rest than most roosters,” and, in a psychologically nuanced plot twist, Sherman wakes up early because he dreams that the sun is already up and he’s overslept. A predictable ending doesn’t detract from the energy of Twohy’s story, which will easily rouse restless readaloud listeners. Ages 4–8. Agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. (Feb.)