COWS IN THE KITCHEN

Livestock’s great out on the range, but when there are cows in the kitchen, sheep on the sofa, and hens on the hatstand, Crebbin warns, look out. Crebbin (The Train Ride, 1995, etc.) builds on a song she overheard preschoolers singing; as Tom Farmer dozes in the haystack the animals run wild through the house. Ducks in the dishes result in a lot of quacking up in the cupboards, while sheep somersault over the back of the sofa. Starring are repetition, animals sounds, and a sleeping adult, who awakens to see a slice of cake run by impaled on a steer’s horn, while donuts, dishes, and ducks go flying; the entire text, providentially, can be sung to the tune of “Skip to My Lou.” Zany animal antics fill McEwan’s illustrations to bursting; the twist is that the next time Tom Farmer falls asleep the animals tiptoe up to him before they raise a ruckus all over again. (Picture book. 2-5)