“Down on the farm of Poor Old Joe,
the hens won’t lay and the crops won’t grow.
The cows won’t graze and the pigs won’t feed
and Joe just can’t think what they need.”
Farmer Joe is befuddled. He wanders and wonders and then decides that music might make the magic to limit the lethargy and bring business back to its glory days. It works for the hens! Then Fiddler Fox joins in the music making and soon the pigs are dancing to the downhome sound. Well, you know where we are going with this tale. The bright colors and energetic farm inhabitants provide plenty of interest for young readers. The strong rhythms and rhyming text will have listeners shaking a leg as the story is shared. Fun to read, and a gentle reminder not to take life too seriously will not be lost on all who share this story.
I am putting this title on my wish list for when I next go shopping at my favourite locally-owned book store. My grand daughters have three urban-backyard chickens, Redee, Chickadee, and Blackee, who until recently provide them with beautiful fresh eggs. Now, only Redee is laying. Perhaps Farmer Joe's plan will also get Chickadee and Blackee back into the laying mode.
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