Once Upon Macdonalds Farm [Hardcover]

Stephen Gammell (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000 | Age Level: 4 and up

Everyone's heard of old man MacDonald's farm.
But, truth be told, MacDonald wasn't much of a farmer.
He didn't even have animals -- at first.
So he got himself some.
And there went the farm.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Originally published in 1981, Gammell's uproarious take on the old farmyard song has been reissued with an improved, slightly larger design, including a new jacket, front matter, and type, and clear white space framing the amazing two-color illustrations. The story of the bumbling farmer is timeless. He tries to farm with an elephant, a baboon, and a lion. When they rebel and leave, his neighbor gets him a chicken, a cow, and a horse. Unfortunately, the stalwart farmer messes up once more ("Ei-ei-oh") in a way that kids will laugh at again and again. There's a sense of a real hardscrabble farm and individual animals in Gammell's pictures. Maybe that's why the wild farce is so funny and so tender. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Stephen Gammell is the acclaimed illustrator of dozens of books for young readers. Included among his many honors are the Randolph Caldecott Medal for Karen Ackerman's Song and Dance Man as well as two Caldecott Honors for Where the Buffaloes Begin by Olaf Baker and The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant. Stephen is also the illustrator of Alvin Schwartz's popular Scary Stories series and has written several other books of his own. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Revised edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689828853
• ISBN-13: 978-0689828850
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #770,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New twist on an old song, August 14, 2000

By 

Cat (Northborough, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Once Upon Macdonalds Farm (Hardcover)

Poor old farmer MacDonald is a little confused. In a story told more through expressive, black-and-white line drawings than with words, old MacDonald tries to figure out what to do with all those animals on his farm. Ei-ei-o. Unfortunately, MacDonald first tries to farm with zoo animals. When the animals run away, MacDonald continues undaunted, now using proper farm animals, but assigning them the wrong jobs (e.g., he tries to use the chicken to plow).

Gammell's Old MacDonald is charming, educational, and easy for both parent and child to read again and again. In addition to the surprising revision of the old song, children enjoy the amusing, beautifully drawn illustrations and the chance to laugh at silly old MacDonald's mistakes. This book is everything a good children's book should be.