From Publishers Weekly
Campbell (Dora's Box) extends an invitation to enter the realm of the fairy and folktale, with generous doses of humor: "The day that Queenie Farmer gave birth to fifteen daughters, her beloved prize cows got loose. Mr. Farmer went after them and never came back." The action unfolds around several of Queenie's daughters' birthdays, when the girls make a request of their mother, which she obliges willingly ("Her girls asked for so little, and Queenie wanted to give them so much"). The tasks always take her six days, with the payoff on Sunday. When she is asked to make 15 birthday cakes for their sixth birthday, for example, Mrs. Farmer grinds flour on Monday, collects eggs on Tuesday, and so forth, until, "On Sunday, the Farmer girls ate cake five chocolate layer cakes, four yellow sponge cakes, three pound cakes, two ice cream cakes, and one angel food cake" (always a countdown from five to one). The girls up the ante as they mature, so that Queenie ends up going out to find 15 husbands for her girls then baby-sitting their 55 offspring on Sundays. Queenie's indisputable love, energy and ingenuity permeate the tale, while Meade (Hush! A Thai Lullaby) makes the most of the simultaneously born siblings, the seven-day motif, and Queenie's comical yearning for her lost Holsteins (she dresses herself and her "herd" of daughters in black and white). Like the narrative, the artwork mirrors the ebb and flo of life. In the end, it's Queenie's turn, as she happily paints Holsteins all week long ('til Sunday, of course). Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
reSchool-Grade 2-When Queenie Farmer gives birth to 15 daughters, her cows run away and her husband follows them. The woman raises the children on her own, and she treats them all alike, just like a herd. Once in a while they ask for something, and she does her best to satisfy them. At six, they want their own birthday cakes, so on Monday she grinds flour, on Tuesday she collects eggs, on Wednesday she milks a neighbor's cow, on Thursday she churns butter, on Friday she makes ice cream, and on Saturday she bakes all day and all night. When the girls are 12, they want their own bedrooms. At 16, it's party dresses, and at 21, they ask for husbands. Working her way through the week for each request, Queenie does her best to please her daughters, but when they have 55 babies, she sells her house and moves. From then on, the women and their children visit her every Sunday, and on all the other days Queenie does just as she pleases. Meade's line-and-wash illustrations extend the story and its humor. Young readers will enjoy counting the characters to make sure they're all there and spotting small details. Astute readers will chuckle when they notice that the Farmers always wear black-and-white polka dots-just like their beloved cows. A rollicking good time, with a lesson on the days of the week thrown in for good measure.
Jeanne Clancy Watkins, Chester County Library, Exton, PACopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
