Craig, Lindsey. Farmyard Beat. Illustrated by Marc Brown. 2012. 32 pp. $6.99 brdbk. Alfred A. Knopf/Random House. 0-3079-3082-3 / 978-0-307-93082-8. Ages 0-3. The inhabitants of this farmyard from the chicks to cows can’t sleep “cause they got that beat,” and they even wake up Farmer Sue with their racket. Rhythm, rhyme, and repetition are well used throughout the text making this book a good choice for reading aloud in small or large groups and to encourage interactive activities like clapping or chanting of the refrain. Full page spreads are in a paper collage style. The composition of illustrations is energetic and indicative of dancing motion of characters. The book could also be valuable for discussing types of animals and the sounds they make. While the farmyard animals are finally able to fall asleep, the story might not be a good choice for signaling bedtime because of the upbeat tempo which invites spirited chanting and dancing. A good choice for story-time especially in a lively group setting. Recommended. Ages 0-3. Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig is a children’s picture book. The age group this book is intended for is nursery. The book has a rhythm in the writing and it describes all the animals coming together because they have a beat that make them want to dance. I read this book electronically. The illustrations by Marc Brown used a lot of lines for details; the background sky looked in motion. The colors were bright and the animals were drawn at different angles to show motion in their dancing. Craig used repetition and rhyming in the words and I thought she was going with the vocal sounds that the animals make, but not for the sheep and the cow. She made the sheep go “Tat!Tat! Tattitty-tat-tat!” which could be their hooves on the ground when they were dancing, but I think it would have been better with the consistency of the vocal noises of the animals. The ending was that after all the excitement they all fell asleep. Overall, I feel this is a good book for young readers. I think a child would probably get up and dance with the animals. The electronic version of the book was set up just as the book would have been; however, I still prefer the ink-on-paper version of the book.
What do You think about Farmyard Beat (2011)?
Just as fun and rhythmic as the first one, Dancing Feet!
—RainbowGummiBear
My son really enjoyed the pictures and the story.
—djoki
Cute rhyming book to use for the babies!
—MissQ310
