Customer Reviews

Punk Farm

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a great book! My 4 year old son loves the colorful pictures and the funny story in this large-format book. We read this book every night a bedtime, and it's still funny to both us. How many books can you say that about (not counting Dr Seuss)?

This book is so wonderful because (1) the writing is simple yet descriptive, as well as current.

(2) the illustrations are rich, warm and very funny.

(3) the subject matter is appealing to preschoolers (who are little anarchists anyway) and their parents. Don't worry, the anarchy the animals do is just to stay up late and play a concert for their fellow farm animals.

The story is similar to "Giggle Giggle Quack" and "Click Clack Moo," -- there is a farmer who makes the mistake of leaving the animals alone, and they go wild (in a good way). The twist is that the band of animals does a punk version of "Old MacDonald!" Hilarity ensues.

Introducing Punk Farm:

Sheep - vocals. Sample quote "Are you ready to rock?"
Pig - guitar. Grimaces and plays guitar behind his head
Chicken - keyboards. Stands on her keyboard at the end of the song
Goat - bass. Sample quote: "Whatever Dude."

Punk Farm plays "Old Macdonald" to a barn full of fans. Each page is one verse of the song, featuring a band member "wailing" on their instrument. At the end of the song, the sheep says to the audience, "Thank you, Wisconsin!"

This is a modern children's classic, right up there with the two aforementioned farm animal books, and "I Stink," "I'm Mighty," and "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus."

(...)

Hey, ho, let's go!

-- a 40-ish Mom and librarian

initially, we borrowed this book from the library and we loved it so we had to buy it. my daughter loves the song "old mcdonald" and jarrett j krosoczka puts a rocking twist to the whole thing. when we read the book together, i sing punk farm's rendition and she wiggles/dances in my lap!:0D an added bonus--you can download the song from the website! good times!

Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Punk Farm (Knopf, 2005)

Amusing kids' book, if far slighter than most of those I've seen in the past few years. Basically a lot of setup for a rocked-out rendition of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" (much more amusing at the book's website, [....], than it is in print). In my estimation, the younger the child, the better, on this one, and it'll require a reader who's good at acting out sounds. (Check out the recorded song for an idea of what the sound effects should sound like; the words don't really give you much to go on.) Fun stuff, but your kid may grow out of it faster than other books. ***

I read this book to many of my music classes. They ALL loved the book--from pre-k up to the fourth grade. It's funny, silly and cool all at the same time. They LOVED listening to the Punk Farm version of Old MacDonald.

The book can be used to teach about the instruments used in a rock band.

I just ordered Punk Farm on Tour. Can't wait to get it!!

This is a fabulous book! Extremely engaging for young children (my two year old grandson adores it) but also for adults. It appeals to those of us who have had dreams of being talented (musically, in this case) and have realized our hidden passions through creative fantasy. I especially enjoyed the accompanying website where the author shares insights into the book's creation and allows one to hear the song in a very "punk" style. I will not ever hear or sing "Old MacDonald" again without thinking of Krosoczka's animals and his punk rendition.
A great book to read to "escape" in these challenging days of hurricanes and war.

Punk Farm by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005) starts off like many barnyard animal picture books. Farmer Joe, pitchfork in hand, performs his daily chores. The animals-a pig, sheep, goat, chicken, and cow-all look on. But, when Farmer Joe exits the barn, the creatures get electric. That is, they morph into a dynamic punk rock band right there in the haystacks!

The artwork is riveting. The simple, pastoral scenes in the beginning give way to explosive pages filled with movement and rich hues. With few exceptions, these images cover the surface of the 10 x 10 inch pages (sometimes as a double page spread) and seem to ooze off the edges. Each animal gives a solo performance, crooning the lines to "Old Macdonald Had A Farm." The lyrics are boldly set in a white font that zigzags and arcs across the page and contrasts with the paint-streaked and paint-splattered backgrounds.

The depictions of the animals are endearing, especially when they adopt their sunglass-wearing rock star superegos. Krosoczka cleverly weaves in pop culture objects that adults willfind amusing. On one page, Farmer Joe drinks out of a bottle of "Spring Water." On another, a horse "bouncer" stamps the hands of all the band groupies, including some concertgoers clad in backwards caps and striped wristbands. Also, the foreword of the book exudes a distinctly punk vibe with its torn ticket stubs, lined notebook paper, graffiti, and black and white press photos of the band.

Punk Farm is a great read aloud for any storyteller willing to take on the edgy lyrics-either in a group or one-on-one. In fact, this book practically begs for interaction. Youngsters could act out the different animals' solo acts and play instruments (the book's website offers an audio rendition of the song). For those who can't get enough of noisy barn books, there exists a comparable title called Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming.

My 3-year-old son loves this book [...] Jarrett is a delight, and this book is a refreshing change of pace for those of us who read the same stories over and over and over again. This is a book my son enjoys all by himself, and he uses his own little animals, like the sheep and the pig and the chicken and the cow to make his own punk farm show. It's so much fun. Thanks!

We first saw this book at our local library story hour. It was so cute that i had to buy it for my cousins daughter for her 3rd birthday. She LOVES it! I can't wait to buy my own kids a copy. If your child likes singing and Rock N Roll they will like this book. Also if you kids like animals they will love this book. It was just too perfect for my cousin who used to have a band in his younger years and is now very much enjoying being a daddy. Now he can sing his daughter old McDonald in a totally new way! Very fun!

We bought this book and its sequel for our son, who is nearly 3. He wants them read to him every night! He has never been so "attached" to any book before. He even has parts of the books memorized! He loves the farm animals and the rock band theme. Overall a very cool book!

This was not exactly what I expected, but is still cute.
My five year old son loves it.
I make up different sounding voices for each animal as they introduce themselves, which always makes us laugh.