Cows and Sheep and Chicks That Cheep: Farm Poems

“A farmer’s day is never done,/ but still our farm is lots of fun!” Florian uses simple words just right for early readers in this farm-themed release that celebrates crops (“Some like apples in a cake./ Others love their apples baked”), animals (“Turkeys like to/ huddle huddle./ Turkeys have a/ wattle wattle”), and more. Simple rhyming structures and repetition are used throughout, while whimsical spelling adds a distinct sparkle to the poem “Llamas”: “Llong llegs./ Llong neck./ On mountain trails/ they llove to trek.” Combining watercolor, colored pencil, rubber stamps, and collage, the naif-style illustrations are both childlike and artful alongside the short poems. The lone human character is portrayed with brown skin. Ages 4–8. (May)