Nicola Smee

I love using this for baby storytime because it allows for tons of bouncing, interactive fun! First Cat, then Dog, then Pig and finally Duck petition Mr. Horse for a ride. Faster and faster the friends all go before they fall off into a soft pile of hay (a perfect time for tossing a child on a bed at home!). Mr. Horse worriedly checks on the friends only to hear a mighty chorus of "Again!"

Very simple illustrations with tons of white space make this suitable for the very young (18 months show more easily, probably even younger), but also for beginning readers. The animals have thick black outlines filled with gentle washes of watercolor and are drawn in a style not that far from how children would attempt them (my horses at least always looked similar to Smee's, if not as well-proportioned). The text will also appeal to toddlers with the inclusion of lots of repetition and some fun onomatopoeia in the "clippity-clop" refrain that runs throughout. Due to the punctuation (dialogue can be confusing for pre-emergent readers), I'd recommend this for emergent beginning readers and maybe some of those who have just made it to early fluency, but the copious white space and large text size provide plenty of rest for eyes just learning to locate text.

This is really an excellent choice all around. Love it.

Used for Down on the Farm baby storytime August 2008.
Used for Farm Fun baby storytime January 2011. show less

Practically every kid I've ever met loves to play at going faster and faster until they get freaked out; then you stop, take a breath, and the kids shouts, "Again!" That's basically when happens in this book, which makes it pretty fun.

picture book - toddler/preschool (maybe baby/toddler)

large pictures and clip-clopping horse/lapsit rhythms make this very toddler-friendly. The story was too long for my wiggliest group (I lost everyone's attention except for 5 kids at the front who wanted nothing more than to identify the farm animals, and NO one was bouncing along), but I'm told others have had a lot of success with it at their storytimes.

A cute rhyming story about a little blue bunny rabbit who has been separated from his grandmother. He and his animal friends look high and low for her. This is a delightful "preschool" mystery with wonderful simple yet colorful illustrations. Perfect for read alouds and snuggle readings.