  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 11/01/2014 In tattered and patched clothing and with an old straw hat on his head, Farmer Brown putts off to town pulling the hay wagon. Along the way he sees the calico cat, who sings, “I love my hat! I love my hat!” Naturally the farmer invites him to “Hop Aboard.” Now a prancing nanny goat sings, “I love my coat!” As she hops aboard, the ox sings, “I love my socks!” (Well, they ARE bright yellow with orange heels and toes.) And who sings of the nice blouse? The field mouse, of course. Soon the hay wagon is a crunch of animals in a tangled stack. Arriving in town, the animals admonish the farmer: “you need new clothes! . . . from your nose to your toes!” His new duds transform the farmer into a dapper boulevardier, as the animals dance round him in glee. The double-page spreads in soft watercolors, brush and ink, and pastels and generous use of white space are a joyful medium to show off the silly critters in this fun romp. - Copyright 2014 Booklist. School Library Journal - 11/01/2014 PreS-Gr 1—As Farmer Brown drives his tractor to town, he encounters a bevy of critters that he compliments on their sartorial choices. The calico cat has a nice hat, the nanny goat a nice coat, the big white ox has nice sox, the big brown bear nice underwear, etc. Each critter then sings a few lines about how they love their article of clothing and joins Farmer Brown as he continues down the road. Once in town they sing to Farmer Brown, "Farmer Brown, you need new clothes! Dress yourself up from your nose to your toes!" And so he does, reappearing to sing about his new clothes as the animals cavort around him. Florian's rhyming, repeitive text is great for reading aloud, and the song lyrics are in red to make it easy to sing along in the appropriate places. Keiser's illustrations are delighful. They have the perfect amount of details without being fussy, and her color palette is soft and muted. This is a joyous, song-filled story about feeling good about your choices. It has plenty of child appeal and is super fun to read aloud.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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