MORNING ON THE FARM

A farmyard awakens to the lyrics of an old lullaby in this picture-book retelling of a classic Irish ballad.

One morning, a farm’s animals rise from slumber: First, songbirds sing “Charee, charee, charee!”; next, a rooster crows. Ducks and turkeys quack and gobble, watching a bald eagle snatch a koi from a pond. A farmer wakes next to milk cows: “K-lang, k-lang, k-lang! / The farmer moo-ves the cows along.” The pigs wait for their slop and call “Soo-ey!” In the farmhouse, a mother sings the book’s lullaby to soothe her infant child. Although much of the book feels set in an earlier era, hints of modern technology subtly appear throughout; the final image shows modern children running off to school. Sheet music with the lyrics of the title song’s first stanza bring the book to a close. Ehlenberger and Miller capture the timeless feel of the song in their rhymes, emphasizing the sounds of the birds and animals in a larger typeface, so young readers can chime in during repetition. Carlos’ beautifully illustrated animals capture the joy of early morning, while the landscapes and plants add a sense of texture. The inclusion of large turkeys and a bald eagle place the Irish tune in the Americas, although the farmer wears an Irish tweed hat.

A sweet book that shows its song’s continued relevance.