The Little Red Hen gives old MacDonald some pointers on composting — and a legendary farm is born — in this rhyming, rollicking read-aloud.
Once upon a time, Old MacDonald didn’t have a farm. He just had a yard — a yard he didn’t want to mow. But under the direction of the wise (and ecologically sensitive) Little Red Hen, Mac learns to look at the environment in a very different way, and whole new worlds start to bloom with the help of some mud, garbage, horse poop, and worms! Judy Sierra’s spirited verse, paired with Matthew Myers’s exuberant illustrations, yields a fresh take on a children’s classic, complete with raised-bed gardens and an organic farmers’ market—making this a perfect story for armchair gardeners and devoted locavores of all sizes.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Humorous beautifully painted picture book with good lessons
By Denis Vukosav
‘How Old MacDonald Got His Farm with a Little Help From a Hen’ written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Matthew Myers tells the story of what was before the Old MacDonald got his farm when he just had a yard.Old MacDonald tired with mowing his large backyard lawn will decide to make some changes under the direction of the smart and ecologically sensitive Little Red Hen. And while his neighbors will watch his efforts with not so much enthusiasm, Old MacDonald will turn his large backyard lawn into beautiful garden with delicious vegetables, and also he will find a place for horse and goat for farm picture to be complete…EIEIO that stands for ‘Enjoy It, Everything Is Organic’ made by known children writer Judy Sierra is a cheerful picture book for preschoolers, although children from 4 years will still be able to enjoy its great rhymes and beautiful illustrations. This book definitely deserves to be read-aloud because in that way even more comes to the fore the humor and joy which emanate from its pages.Matthew Myers did a great job with his acrylic and oil illustrations full of vivid colors and numerous details that have been made in the laughable and attractive style making this book hard to let go when you take it in your hands. The story offers a good lesson how important is to eat healthy, but also that we should disregard the disdain and taunts of others if we truly believe in our venture.These all are reasons why Sierra’s picture book is certainly worth reading together with your kid what I'm constantly doing the last few days.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.Great to see Old MacDonald from a woman's perspective
By Amazon Customer
Like so many great animated films these days this is a children's book that can be enjoyed on multiple levels. Lots of whimsy, great illustrations and good lessons for the kids. I can't wait to share it with my 2 and 4 year old grandsons. I would definitely recommend adding this to your children's libraries.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.Whimiscal Story
By C. Curran
First let me say that if you are a vegetarian, this is a good book for your children. No animals are eaten, and at the Farmers Market they only sell vegetables, honey, goats milk and eggs, and the hen and other animals are not confined or tied up. However, there is a horse tied to the vegetable cart to pull it.With that said, I thought this was a great book. The farmer, "Macdonald, loves his yard but mowing his lawn is mighty hard. So off he went to buy a goat. E-I-E-I-O. He buys a goat to eat the grass, then he buys a hen, a horse worms and seeds. Soon the grass is gone so they end up creating a vegetable graden. There is more involved then I am telling here. The whole story rhymes and is funny at times. The pictures are bright and whimiscal. I thought it was a fun read.
