On the Farm
*Starred Review* Joining an upswell of cozy picture books that evoke an earlier era, such as The Apple Pie That Papa Baked (2007) and The House in the Night (2008), this handsome poetry collection feels as hearty and comforting as a bowl of sugared porridge. Against an idyllic backdrop—white farmhouse, red barn—children meet a parade of familiar animals in 13 pithy, often slyly comic poems. Moving in a different direction from his quirky middle-grade fiction (the Evangeline Mudd series and others), Elliott delivers rapid-fire, down-to-earth distillations of animal behavior or characteristics, such as bees’ busywork (“It begins in clover, / It ends with gold”) and a bull’s stolid nature (“The Bull / Knows what he likes— / cows and corn. / Knows what he is— / muscle and horn”). In an impressive first foray into woodblock printing, with results that call forth the work of noted printmaker John Lawrence (This Little Chick, 2006), Caldecott Honor illustrator Meade respects the spare power of Elliott’s contributions with judiciously textured images that never anthropomorphize and yet, like the poems, imply glimmers of innate character. From toddlers to the youngest poets, children will delight in the fun and beauty on display here, while adults will soak in the nostalgia embodied in the tranquil, pastoral scenes. Preschool-Grade 2. --Jennifer Mattson