Old Mikamba Had a Farm

PreS-Gr 2—"Old Mikamba had a farm, E-I-E-I-O." But there are no cows or ducks here, because Old Mikamba lives in Africa on a game farm. Here, readers are introduced to a baboon, cheetah, zebra, and elephant as well as a dassie and a springbok. Meant to be shared aloud, the text provides a variety of fun sounds to re-create with a partner. The "trill-trill" of the dassie and the "bleat-bleat" of the giraffe are sure to delight. Isadora's stunning collage brings the colors and textures of the African plain to life. Newsprint and printed paper provide rich textures and vivid color for both the animals and the fabric of Mikamba's clothing. The animals are parent/child pairs and this augments the shared feel of the song. Concluding pages provide background on the featured species, including habitat, communication systems, and endangered status. Lovely to look at as well as pure joy to read aloud, this title will demand an encore again and again.—Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

As she did in There Was a Tree, Isadora sets this riff on a classic children's song in Africa. Using "Old MacDonald" as a template, her rendition introduces 14 wild residents of a game farm and the sounds they make. With a few exceptions (dassie, springbok), the species will be familiar to most readers, and their phonetically punchy utterings, which include a baboon's "OOH-HA-HA" and a wildebeest's "HONK-HONK," are fun to imitate while singing along. Though Isadora's earth-toned, mixed-media illustrations are uncluttered--the animals appear against mostly white backdrops with minimal landscape--there is complexity within. The collages feature an inventive assortment of textures and patterns: elephants' and rhinos' hides are newsprint, wildebeests' fur resembles wood grain, and giraffes' spots are swatches of patterned textiles; borders feature the scrubby vegetation and low hills of the book's plains setting. Intriguing incidental facts about each animal (no two zebras have the same stripe pattern; there are more than 370 species of parrots) are included at the end of the book, which strikes a neat balance between being rousing and soothing. Ages 3-5. (Oct.)

Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

"Provides a variety of fun sounds to re-create with a partner. The 'trill-trill' of the dassie and the 'bleat-bleat' of the giraffe are sure to delight. Isadora's stunning collage brings the colors and textures of the African plain to life. . . . The animals are parent/child pairs and this augments the shared feel of the song. Concluding pages provide background on the featured species, including habitat, communication systems, and endangered status. Lovely to look at as well as pure joy to read aloud, this title will demand an encore again and again." — School Library Journal

"A familiar text is adapted to use in an unfamiliar environment with happy results. . . . The combination of the known and the unknown, the amusing noises that each animal makes, and the exuberant collages incorporating woven fabrics, newsprint, and other materials all make for a winning strategy. . . . Young children will want to visit this farm and 'grunt-grunt' with the hippos and 'chirp-chirp' with the ostriches." — Kirkus Reviews

"While the animal sounds are fun and lend themselves perfectly to a storytime rendition, the artwork is a particular treat. Collages that give a distinct sense of place, set against plentiful white space that allows the animals to pop. . . . An extensive concluding note provides interesting facts about all of the animals included, as well as a mention of the role game farms and parks play in protecting Africa's endangered species." — Booklist

"Old Mikamba may have a farm, but it's a game farm on the African plains, and the animals on his farm are a far cry from the typical cow/pig/chicken that hang out with Old MacDonald. Here, baboons, zebras, and elephants share space with rhinos, giraffes, and cheetahs. . . . A whole new lot of animal sounds. . . . Intriguingly composed figures." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Rachel Isadora puts a new spin on the tale of Old MacDonald's Farm. . . . Readers will discover the animals and sounds of Africa. . . . Creatively designed." — Library Media Connection