Farm Flu [Library Binding]

Teresa Bateman (Author), Nadine Bernard Westcott (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Ka-choo! Who's sneezing? It's the cow, the chickens, the pigs, the turkeys, the donkey, and the sheep! All the farm animals have the flu, and Mom is out of town. Luckily, she has one smart son. He knows just what his mom would do, if it were he who had the flu! With tissue, tea, and lots of fun, Teresa Bateman offers a rhyming tale guaranteed to cure whatever ails you.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bateman's (The Ring of Truth) sweetly silly rhyming tale of mounting chaos triggered by good intentions inspires Westcott's (Skip to My Lou) menagerie of familiar animals to mimic some over-the-top human behavior. Tending the farm while his mother is away, the boy narrator hears the dairy cow sneeze, "Ka-Chooo!... I'd never helped a sickly cow," he says, adding, in what becomes the book's refrain, "But I knew what my mom would do/ if it were me who had the flu." He puts the guernsey to bedAliterallyAbut soon finds he has an epidemic on his hands. The next day, as he notes a donkey gorging on chocolate donuts and a pig listening to a Walkman, it dawns on the boy that there is a corollary to the example set by his mother: coddling has its limits. "Too sick to be outside, I see,/ Then you're too sick to watch TV!/ No toys, no games, just stay in bed./ No popcornA/ you'll have mush instead!" The boy restores order, but finds that he, too, has come down with the flu. On the last page, the animals kindly minister to him. Westcott's drawings lack the loopy looseness that characterizes her best works, and the book's squarish format cramps the expansiveness of her visual whimsy. But enough fun and folly burst from these pages to make this a literary chicken soup for any young, temporary invalid. Ages 3-7. (Mar.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-A humorous rhyming story that's as much fun to look at as it is to read. Mom leaves the farm in her son's hands for the day and while she is gone, the animals all come down with the flu. Caring for the sick creatures in the manner that he knows his mother would care for him, the boy puts the cow to bed, complete with tissues and alfalfa tea; "popped the piglets in the tub/and gave them all a belly rub"; and makes popcorn for the donkey. And when the animals begin having too much fun being sick, the child removes their TV, toys, games, and popcorn, just as his mother would do, resulting in an instant cure. Westcott's lively illustrations add comedic touches throughout. The turkey working the TV remote control and the chickens sipping from juice boxes are sure to elicit giggles. Great fun for reading aloud.-Kathy M. Newby, Kokomo-Howard County Public Library, Russiaville, IN

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807522740
• ISBN-13: 978-0807522745
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,941,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Farm Flu Review, February 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Farm Flu (Library Binding)

Farm Flu is a sweet little book about a boy and his sickly livestock. I think that the rhyme is good, but the story is even better. And how charming is the repeated text "I know just what my mom would do / if it were me who had the flu."? My little son requests this book a LOT, and I am only too happy to oblige him.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The flu isn't fun, but this story is!, November 4, 2010

By 

AFConnors - See all my reviews

This review is from: Farm Flu (Paperback)

I teach preschool and I love to read this story in February, by which time most of the children have been sick with colds or flu and can relate to the poor farm animals who start sniffling and sneezing! We all pretend to sneeze when the animals do - four-year-olds love to pretend to sneeze, the louder, the better! It's very cute at the end, when the animals, now recovered, care for the boy when he gets sick. Another thing I like about this book is that it always leads to good conversations - children love to talk about when they were sick - and it's a natural way to lead into talking about washing your hands often - to avoid getting sick like the animals in "Farm Flu"!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun to read!!, March 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Farm Flu (Library Binding)

My son demands that I read him lots of books and it always makes me happy when he picks this one out. Its great fun to read. I think I enjoy it more than he does. You can really get into the rhyme and rhythm trying new ways each time you read it. The story is funny as well. I've probably read it a hundred times and haven't gotten sick of it yet.