Psst! The word on the street is it’s Friday!
This may be a completely unfounded rumor.
After all, due to the holiday last Monday it doesn’t really feel like Friday yet, does it?
But let’s go with popular opinion 🙂
I have a fabulously fun Perfect Picture Book to share with you today. Get ready to enjoy! 🙂
Title: Old MacDonald Had A… Zoo?
Written & Illustrated By: Iza Trapani
Charlesbridge, September 12 2017, fiction
Suitable For Ages: 2-5
Themes/Topics: animals (farm and zoo), nursery rhyme retelling, language (prepositions)
Opening: “Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O,
And on that farm he had a cow, E-I-E-I-O.
With a moo moo here, and a moo moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo,
Everywhere a moo moo,
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O.”
Brief Synopsis: Old MacDonald is tending his farm, milking his cow, minding his own business when along comes a herd of disruption! What on earth are a bunch of zoo animals doing on Old MacDonald’s farm???!!!
Links To Resources: One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others – think up groups of animals where 3 match in some way (farm, zoo, jungle, aquatic, color, pattern, food preference, feathers, fins, number of legs, tail, etc.) and the 4th doesn’t and get kids to tell you what the 3 have in common and why the 4th doesn’t match; draw your favorite farm animal and tell why it’s your favorite; what animal would YOU invite to Old MacDonald’s farm and how would your song verse go?; play Old MacDonald Says and practice the position words from the story – above, below, near, far, high, low, etc…
text and illustration copyright Iza Trapani 2017
Why I Like This Book: Everyone knows the familiar story/song of Old MacDonald and his farm…but this version takes it to a whole new level as a bunch of escaped zoo animals wander in and start making themselves at home, much to the surprise of the regular farm inhabitants and to Old MacDonald’s chagrin! The rhyme is perfect and fun to read aloud, telling a humorous story (and as an added bonus using a lot of positional words (above, below, near, far, high, low, etc.) so kids get practice in understanding the physical relationship of things.) The art is lively and full of delightful hidden details. And the facial expressions of both Old MacDonald and the animals are priceless 🙂 An all-around fun tale that will have little ones singing along!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂
P.S. You may have noticed that Halloween is right around the corner, and you know what THAT means… the annual Halloweensie Writing Contest!!! Stay tuned for details, hopefully coming early next week so you’ll have time to write, polish, and perfect!!! 🙂
Susanna Leonard Hill 
Susanna, where did you find this great book. What a novel way to fracture/play with a nursery rhyme. I can’t wait to read this one. My nephew is going to love it. Thanks.
Adorable!
Another super stellar winner from Iza! I can’t wait!
Sounds like a fun read, from all vantage points!
I have this book on my wish list. I’m glad to know that there is a calamity of zoo animals that add humor to the story. I have a great niece who I want to give this book to.
E-I-E-I-Oh Susanna! Thank you so much for featuring my book. And I love your excellent teaching activities. You’re the best! And thanks all for the nice comments!
That Old MacDonald is a busy farmer. This is precisely the kind of tale I would have loved as I was growing up on a farm. Oh, the possibilities for animal mayhem! Thanks for bringing this one to my attention.
PS. It does feel like Friday to me. This week has not been a good one for those of us living in the Bay Area. Ready for this to end. Hope the firefighters get some help from mother nature soon.
Not only is it Friday, but it’s Friday the 13th… anyway, LOVE Old MacDonald and his farm/zoo. what fun!
I can’t wait to read Iza’s latest.
It sounds adorable! Nice one, Iza
Such a fun book, Susanna! Hurray for Iza for taking a well-known rhyme and turning it into a fab picture book with a totally new slant. She is so good at doing that!
Halloweensie! Oh my gosh…is it that time of year already? Bring it on, Susanna!
Congrats, Iza 🙂 Can’t wait to read about the fun and frolic 🙂
E-I-E-I-woof
Love and licks,
Cupcake
This sounds hilarious and I love the illustrations. Gosh hasn’t the year gone fast. And Christmas is only just around the corner too. Gulp!
I’d like to introduce this one to my pre-k kiddos!
Oh my goodness, another book I NEED! I really enjoy books like this because half the kids in my class do know Old MacDonald and the other half don’t. So I get to introduce an old fav AND a new fun story all at the same time. Susanna’s tithe Road That Trucks Built did the same same thing. Love it!
Oh! And Halloweensie! “Squeals with joy!” 😁👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽