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Summary
Summary
Farmer Fred never smiled much. "Farmin' is serious business," he'd say. "Nothin' funny about corn." And so life on his farm was pretty serious. None of the animals laughed or even smiled. But everyone has to laugh sometimes, including Farmer Fed. The animals try everything to get him to smile: dancing by the light of the moon in Farmer Fred's clothes, singing chickens, sheep disguised in sunglasses and mustaches. Nothing works and finally the animals decide to leave Serious Farm in search of a more cheerful place to chuckle and graze. Will the animals find a livelier home, and will Farmer Fred ever lighten up?
Author Notes
Tim Egan is the author and illustrator of several offbeat and humorous tales for children. He is consistently recognized for his individuality and delightful illustrations. Born in New Jersey, Tim moved to California to attend the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He still lives in southern California with his wife, Ann, and their two sons. To learn more about Tim Egan, visit his Web site at www.timegan.com. For a complete list of books by Tim Egan, visit www.houghton mifflinbooks.com.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-This iconographic depiction of Tim Egan's picture book (Houghton, 2003) is a delight to watch. Farmer Fred is a very serious man, never smiling or laughing. When the animals on the farm decide that the farm, especially Farmer Fred, is too serious, they do everything they can think of to get him to laugh. Unfortunately, neither cows acting like roosters, grinning goats, nor animals dressed in clothes make Farmer Fred laugh. Discouraged, the animals run away. Finally, it is the sight of the farm animals in the woods that gets a chuckle out of Farmer Fred, convincing the animals to return home. Select areas of Egan's humorous ink-and-water color illustrations are focused on and interspersed with full views of the illustrations to enhance the telling of the story. Narrator David Calabrese tells the story in a fitting gruff, humorous tone. Background music and sound effects add to the tale. A fine addition to collections that support early grade school curriculum.-Veronica Schwartz, Des Plaines Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Egan's (The Experiments of Doctor Vermin; Chestnut Cove) dignified animal characters tend to meet life's challenges with cool stoicism, despite the occasional urge to act silly. In this dryly funny story, the furred and feathered residents of Farmer Fred's barnyard likewise cultivate a dispassionate attitude: "The pigs, the cows, the horses, the chickens, the rabbit, the sheep. All extremely serious." Everyone, especially Farmer Fred himself, wears the determined, impassive gaze of the morning commuter. So much nonchalance bothers Edna the cow, who launches an initiative to make Farmer Fred laugh. The animals try absurdity after absurdity: they perform impromptu acrobatics, wear Groucho glasses and, in the pigs' case, bark like dogs ("That's more weird than funny," Farmer Fred shrugs). Farmer Fred turns out to be one tough customer, meeting the animals' shenanigans with steely, W.C. Fields-caliber resistance. Egan's deadpan voice delivers maximum comic value, and his muted watercolors convey the animals' combination of shyness and hilarity; a shift of the eyebrows or a slight tilt of the mouth can betray a long-suppressed sense of humor. Yet this tale has heart as well as high jinks. When the animals decide to run away from the problem, Farmer Fred hurries after them: "Sure I'm serious, but that doesn't mean you have to be," he says. "And, besides, we're family.... I need you." Egan acknowledges the awkward but heartfelt exchanges of affection that so often pass between family members, as his characters, initially distant from one another, reach a warm and realistic understanding. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Primary) Farmer Fred, a serious guy if there ever was one, says, ""Nothing funny about corn."" No, there isn't, but when he delivers this line with his deadpan, Steven Wright-like affect, you can't help chuckling. Egan's offbeat, understated humor is used to good effect in the highly amusing text and art, and it's the skillful interplay between the two that makes this book so darn funny (sorry, Farmer Fred). We're used to seeing happy, smiling farm animals frolicking about in picture books; here, the presence of so many creatures staring soberly out of the ink and watercolor illustrations tips the scales to hilarious. Edna the cow, tired of the lack of levity, wants to shake things up a bit: ""We've got to get Farmer Fred to laugh. I mean, it's okay to be serious, but not all the time."" Everyone agrees to try, cracking themselves up in the process. But not Farmer Fred. The pigs bark like dogs (response: ""That's more weird than funny""); everyone dances around in the moonlight dressed up in Fred's clothes (""Better not get my clothes dirty""). Having exhausted their comedic material, the animals leave in disgust. Now Fred may be serious, but he's not heartless, and when he discovers that his animals are missing, he's sad. In the end, the animals come back, and Farmer Fred lightens up...but just a bit--""he still doesn't see anything funny about corn."" As Edna would tell you, making people laugh isn't easy; Tim Egan just makes it look like it is. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Egan will crack up even the dourest of readers with this devastatingly deadpan episode. Weary of life with Farmer Fred, who is given to pronouncements like, "Nothing funny about corn," a group of farm animals tries everything from circus tricks to dressing in his clothes in an effort to get him to lighten up. At last, discouraged, they sneak away. But Farmer Fred follows, coaxing them to come back with a barely perceptible "heh, heh," and the poker-faced warning that there are lions in the woods. Like James Marshall, Egan gives his simply drawn figures tiny, but wonderfully expressive eyes. Children may roll theirs--but here's a telling demonstration that a serious disposition isn't the same as a humorless one. Heh, heh. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.