Spots, Feathers, and Curly Tails

I don't know if you're familiar with the New York Public Library's, "100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know" list or not. I'll assume not. Every year the system revamps those picture books that it feels are necessary additions to your three-year-old's literary canon. Most of these make a lot of sense. Books like "Where the Wild Things Are", "Goodnight Moon", and "Click Clack Moo" are American staples. Then you get to some of the more questionable choices. I've little doubt that I would never have discovered "Spots, Feathers, and Curly Tails", had it not appeared on this list. I'll mention that the idea that this is a book every child "should" know is questionable at best. Still, it's a nice and very basic book covering farm animal body parts in a straightforward manner. Your small children will have a hard time resisting the clear pictures, matter-of-fact writing, and baby animals. Your large adults may feel the same way. The book is formatted so that on the left-hand page we receive a question. The first one in the book is, "What has spots?". Because this is an open-ended question (the answer could be anything from Dalmatians to kids with measles) there's a section of a farm animal artfully displayed on the opposing page. Turn the page and there stands the whole animal with an explanation like, "A cow has spots". Pretty straightforward. In this manner kids learn that chickens have feathers, pigs have curly tails, a horse has a mane, a duck has a bill, a bull has horns, and that all these animals live on a farm in the country. Author/illustrator Nancy Tafuri has chosen to depict each and every one of these animals in very clear watercolors and black pen outlines. Each animal is realistic enough to be recognized by small children in real life. The final shot of all these animals on a farm in the country is an idyllic verdant pastureland that perfectly sums up the entire enterprise. To my mind, this is a good introduction to farm animals. Be sure to pair it with a couple Old MacDonald renditions (this book doesn't cover animal sounds, just appearances). Then, if you're feeling ambitious, compliment it with the essential, "Click, Clack, Moo" by Doreen Cronin for a full farmland storytime. This is a good toddler book that covers the bases but doesn't offer anything better or worse than the other barnyard fare out there. Definitely check it out if it interests you but don't knock yourself out finding a copy.