Rock-A-Bye Farm - Hardcover

Little ones may well envy the animals on Rockabye Farm--every night the farmer personally rocks each of them to sleep. First "the Farmer rocks his baby. When the baby goes to sleep, the Farmer rocks his dog. When the dog is snoring loudly, the Farmer rocks his hen." No animal is too large or too small to receive a loving send-off into a night of slumber; even the cow and the horse are lulled to sleep with the help of a tractor and wagon. Hamm's simple, rhythmic text is perfectly accompanied by Brown's reassuring illustrations. Humorous touches include the initially drowsy farmer growing more alert with the exertion of putting his animals to sleep, until he, too, finally requires his own good-night rocking. This collaboration celebrates the affection and trust between caretakers and their charges; its contagious contentment will surely soothe youngsters. But parents of sleep-resistant children, beware: this farmer's rare standard of indulgence may be hard to live up to. Ages 2-6.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

PreSchool-- As twilight, then night, settles on a farm, a farmer rocks his baby. Once the infant is asleep, he rocks first the dog, then the hen, and all the rest of the farmyard creatures, one by one. Finally, he sits down in a chair next to his bed and rocks himself. Children will delight in the progression of ever-larger beasts that the nurturing man tends. Hamm's rhythmic text has the animals ``dreaming well,'' ``snoring loudly,'' ``settled down,'' ``tucked in straw,'' etc. A refrain at the end of most sentences invites listeners' enthusiastic naming of the animals. The cartoonlike watercolor illustrations on each spread depict the chubby farmer and his goofy-looking, charming animals as he moves from house to barn on his nightly rounds. Although bright, the pictures are somewhat static with little change in perspective. Still, with its low-key humor and lullaby cadence, the book is as warm and reassuring as a hug. --Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.