Cock-A-Doodle-Doo-Bop!

It's just before dawn on the farm. A crescent moon hangs in the sky, and Myers (Battle Bunny) conjures up a landscape awash in purple and blue. But this farm's hip rooster (he even wears shades at night) wants to replace his traditional crowing with something more interesting: scat, doo-wop, a trumpet solo, even record scratching ("wick wick wickee old mac wick wick wickee eieiooo"). It isn't just annoying to his fellow farm denizens--it violates the laws of nature, as a bleary farm boy explains: "The sun won't come up without a 'cock-a-doodle-doo.' " The cow, whose attempts at being reasonable are the book's funniest running joke, takes a different tack. "Look, Mel," he says, "I'm all for creativity, but some things are perfect just the way they are." When Rooster's artistic integrity proves implacable, desperate measures prevail. This is a witty crowd-pleaser and a gift to those reading aloud, thanks to Black's (Naked!) gooses of blaring onomatopoeia (the typography plays along, popping off the page) and character-rich dialogue. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Oct.)

PreS-Gr 2--It's dawn. Mel, the farm's resident rooster, breaks loose with a raucous scat improvisation worthy of the local WFRM microphone. It's also time for a morning wake-up, and the volume (and large font) of the lyrics literally tosses residents from their beds. There's an issue here--anything but a simple "cock-a-doodle-doo" just won't wake the Sun, and unfortunately this rooster is bored with "doing that same old number every morning for years." The young farmer and Cow react with alarm, rooster provides another inspired rise-and-shine rendition, and the result is the same--NO Sun. Neither trumpet solo nor rap budge the moon, but Cow's final offering of a "Cow-ca-doodle-MOO" has just the right sound to invite the morning rays. Boldly painted cartoon art enhances the sleepy concern of farm residents as night finally turns into day. Font and text color change with dialogue of the characters and the ear-splitting onomatopoeia of the rooster's wake-up cries. Each page varies with smaller scenes, spreads, and tiny details to challenge observant readers. VERDICT Storytime will never be the same with this delightful routine breaker.--Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX