School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Poor Farmer Felandro is in dire need of a good night's rest and is all too aware that, "Morning comes early." But sleep is not in the cards for the hapless farmer, who is awakened again and again by his animals needing to be let out of barns, taken into barns, put in pens, shut in stalls, etc. Just when he gets one group down, another goes off, until finally morning has come and he can just get up. Students will be amused as the poor farmer lists off his chores for the next day in a more and more garbled form. What starts out as "-milk the cows, repair the fence, mow the hay, and climb the silo" ends up: "-repair the cow, climb the fence, milk the hay, and mow the silo." The acrylic illustrations are charmingly blocky, done in warm earth-toned colors and comfortingly round shapes. The Spanish translation, located on the bottom half of each page and separated from the English by an inset drawing, is clear, crisp, and maintains the humor of the English original. Pair this book with Doreen Cronin's Click, Clack, Moo (S & S, 2000) for a barnyard-themed storytime featuring strong-willed animals. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
In this unimaginative bilingual tale, a farmer trying to sleep is constantly disturbed by animals who need attention. When he goes back to bed, his mental list of the next day's chores becomes increasingly mixed-up: I have to mow the cow, climb the fence, repair the hay, and milk the silo. The promising premise is sunk by amateurish illustrations and an abrupt ending. Glos. From HORN BOOK Fall 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Beautiful illustrations--humorous, busy, matte-surfaced, revealing the canvas texture of the original acrylic paintings--highlight this twisting account of a farmer's attempt to get a good night's sleep. Before he can nod off, the young goats start bleating after having been left out. When farmer Felandro goes out to pen them up, he accidentally wakes the dogs, which wait until he returns to bed to begin howling. Each attempt to get some peace and quiet creates another reason for noise, providing children with a series of pleasurable instances of repetition and predictability. Besides the humor provoked by Felandro's grumbling, children will also enjoy the way he continually confuses tomorrow's tasks as he tries to settle down--does he milk the cow or the silo? Does he mow the hay or the fence? Both Spanish and English texts flow smoothly and may even introduce a few unfamiliar farm terms to some readers. Midgett's illustrations are reminiscent of Joe Cepeda's rowdy, good-humored style and serve to prove useful at story time and in farm units for primary-grade students. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.