Image: Publishers Weekly
Bibliographic Data
Cronin, Doreen. 2008. Thump, Quack, Moo: A Whacky Adventure. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. ISBN: 9781416916307.
Plot Summary
Farmer Brown needs help preparing for the Corn Maze Festival, so he asks his farm animals for a hand. The chickens and cows are happy to help, but not Duck. Then Duck gets an idea that he works hard on at night while Farmer Brown works hard each day. When the festival arrives, nothing is quite right but Farmer Brown doesn't mind. He only cares about his maze. He goes up in a hot air balloon with Duck to see his corn maze masterpiece from above, only to find that Duck has altered his plan!
Critical Analysis
This story was written for children ages 4-8, and it uses age-appropriate words in the main story. However, the mice in the side story are studying meteorology, so parents may have to explain some of the big weather words to their kids. The weather predictions humorously reflect the action in the story, though I am not sure if young children will understand that kind of humor without having it explained to them. The text is large and easy to read. The watercolor pictures illustrating the story are lovely and comical. They often explain what's happening in the story when the words fail to do so. Children will love looking at these amusing pictures.
The story ends abruptly when Farmer Brown learns that Duck altered his maze from looking like the Statue of Liberty to having a duck face on it. A fold-out picture at the end shows the design Duck created. Duck, very pleased with himself, jumps from the hot air balloon with a parachute on his back as Farmer Brown angrily yells at him. There are no consequences to Duck for his actions; he gets away with pulling his prank on Farmer Brown. As I have not read any of the other books in this series, I felt Duck was rather mean to Farmer Brown and I did not understand why he did what he did. In researching this story, I have learned that he often pulls pranks on Farmer Brown and that is at the heart of their relationship. I can see how some may find this story humorous, though I just felt sorry for Farmer Brown. Reading some of the other stories in this series may improve my opinion of this book, but as a stand-alone reading I did not really enjoy it. However, children may delight in Duck's mischievous nature and cheer him on in his antics.
Awards
Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award 2010-2011 Reading List
Reviews
Publishers Weekly: “It's another interspecies battle of wits—and read-aloud winner—from a celebrated duo.”
School Library Journal: “Duck and his comical cohorts return in another zany tale. … Once again, Cronin and Lewin get everything right, from the perfectly paced deadpan narrative, to the amusing characterizations, to the vibrant brush and watercolor cartoons that play off and extend the text’s humor. … Fans will not be disappointed.”
Booklist: “The creators of the immensely popular series that began with Caldecott Honor Book Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (2001) continue the story of Farmer Brown and his barnyard full of insubordinate animals. … Kids who know Duck from the first titles won’t be surprised at all that the wily bird only appears to be compliant; his secret revenge (a much-altered corn maze) is revealed in a final, laugh-out-loud gatefold illustration. Composed of short sentences printed in large type, the entertaining story is well suited to new readers, who will stretch for the few vocabulary words (meteorology, for example). Readers and listeners both will delight in Lewin’s typically comic bold-lined illustrations and in Farmer Brown’s folly, even as they (and their parents) recognize the familiar power struggles.”
Connections
Enrichment Activities
This story may inspire children to learn more about farm animals. Some websites that provide fun facts about farm animals and activities children can do are:
Duck pulls a prank on Farmer Brown that upsets him, but otherwise causes no harm. This story can be an opportunity to discuss the difference between being silly or doing mischief that can be harmful. You can discuss with the kids how to tell the difference between a fun prank and something that could hurt someone's feelings or cause harm. Have they ever pulled a prank before? What happened?
Related Readings
Other Books in this Series:
- Giggle, Giggle, Quack by Doreen Cronin (Atheneum, 2002)
- Duck for President (New York Times Best Illustra... by Doreen Cronin (Atheneum, 2004)
- Dooby Dooby Moo by Doreen Cronin (Atheneum, 2009)
- A Busy Day at the Farm by Doreen Cronin Little Simon, 2009)
- Click, Clack, Splish, Splash: A Counting Adventure by Doreen Cronin (Atheneum, 2006)
- Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin (Atheneum, 2000)
Similar Books:
- If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff (HarperCollins Publishers, 2008)
- The Three Horrid Little Pigs by Liz Pichon (ME Media, LLC, 2010)
- Farmer Ham by Alec Sillifant (North-South Books, Inc., 2007)
- Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems (Hyperion Books for Children, 2003)
No comments:
Post a Comment