Moo in the Morning

At the beginning of "Moo in the Morning" a young child and their mother are listening to the city waking up in the morning. Horns are honking, doors are slamming, people are yelling, and "there are clangings and clashes, and rattles and rumbles early in the morning." Mom doesn't mind hearing so much noise, but it's a bit too much first thing in the AM!! SO, she suggests a trip to Uncle Jack's farm, and off they go.Farm life is pretty quiet compared to city life. How will they know it's morning, if it's so quiet? Simple, the cow begins to moo very loudly!! Wait! Now the rooster is crowing, and the cow is mooing. Now the birds are singing, the ducks are quacking, the rooster is crowing and the cows are mooing!! This is even before the humans wake up and begin plowing fields and crashing pots and pans for breakfast!! Good grief, it's noisier here in the country!! Time to go back home to the "quiet" city...Ms. Maitland has written a wonderfully fun story in the tradition of "Too Much Noise" and other stories where the characters find themselves realizing that their life, while noisy, is pretty quiet compared to other folks. The story builds on itself in a wonderfully repetitive way that will be lots of fun for young children as they run through the ever-growing list of animals that are making noise. The text itself bends and twists around Mr. Kulman's bright and vivid illustrations. The pictures themselves even LOOK noisy as people jackhammer up the pavement, shout to each other, and crowds of animals wake up to start their day by being talkative."Moo in the Morning" is a wonderful choice for very young children, especially urban ones who may not realize just how noisy their environment can get! It's a good choice for lapsitting and for young children to practice their animal noises. For older children who are just beginning to read on their own, "Moo..." is a good choice as well because of the ease of the story and the repetition of the text. A wonderful book!! Highly recommended!!