The Farm That Mac Built

by Tammi Sauer (Author) Jackie Urbanovic (Illustrator)

Reading Level: K − 1^st Grade

The scarecrow from Old Mac Donald's farm emcees a barnyard theater production that collapses into hilarious chaos in this rollicking rendition of "The House That Jack Built." It's showtime on Old Mac Donald's Farm! The barnyard animals are putting on a play--a farm version of "The House That Jack Built"-- but other animals keep taking the stage and interrupting the production. First some rambunctious monkeys, then breakdancing kangaroos . . . there's even a pair of singing elephants. Everyone knows that monkeys, kangaroos, and elephants do NOT belong on a farm . . . so what to do? Bursting with sound effects and rollicking repetition that will have kids clamoring for repeat readings, this hilarious mashup of two favorite nursery rhymes shows that perseverance and teamwork pay off, and that sometimes you just have to roll with the unexpected and try to have fun with it.

Common Sense Media Review

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School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1—A friendly scarecrow is the master of ceremonies for a play based on "The House That Jack Built," featuring a cast from Old MacDonald's farm. However, things quickly go sideways when a bevy of non-farm animals, including mischievous monkeys, hip-hopping kangaroos, and singing elephants, decide to get in on the act, resulting in chaos on stage. Finally, the farm animals get their act together and take their bows. But with a wink to the audience, the last page reveals a few remaining backstage antics by a couple of interlopers. VERDICT Lots of word repetition and animal sound effects, combined with Urbanovic's comically expressive cartoon illustrations, make this a rollicking read-aloud that will encourage young readers to join in on the silliness.—Jessica Marie, Salem P.L., OR

Review quotes

"Lots of word repetition and animal sound effects, combined with Urbanovic's comically expressive cartoon illustrations, make this a rollicking read-aloud that will encourage young readers to join in on the silliness."—School Library Journal

"Sauer's cumulative mashup of 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm' and 'The House That Jack Built' will delight audiences familiar with both. Urbanovic's cartoon illustrations of (mostly) clothed animal performers elevate this nightmare production into a hilarious comedy of errors....No owls here, but this one is definitely a hoot." —Kirkus

Tammi Sauer

Tammi Sauer is the author of All Kinds of Special, Mr. Duck Means Business, Mostly Monsterly, Chicken Dance, Cowboy Camp, and other books. She has worked as both a teacher and library media specialist. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and two children. Visit her at TammiSauer.com.

Fernando Martín is an illustrator from Valencia, Spain. He studied media and audio-visual communication, but drawing is what he loves the most. He works mainly digitally and likes using limited but colorful palettes. His illustrations are inspired by childhood memories, traveling experiences, eighties cartoons, and music. He illustrated All Kinds of Special by Tammi Sauer, among other books.

Classification

Fiction

ISBN-13

9780544113022

Lexile Measure

510

Guided Reading Level

Publisher

Clarion Books

Publication date

August 11, 2020

Series

BISAC categories

Library of Congress categories

Humorous stories
Animals
Domestic animals
Theater
Scarecrows

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