Reviews

PreS-Gr 2-A concept book that blends rhyming, counting, repetition, and animal sounds into a charming, folksy story. Hutchins's trademark wooden figures-including the farming couple from Changes, Changes (Macmillan, 1971)-populate this delightful tale in which a farmer watches his animals eat bright red apples from the tree. "`Horse!' cried the farmer. `Save some for me!'" When there is just one apple left, he picks it ("Yippee, fiddle-dee-fee!"). Then along comes his wife, who finds "No red apples to bake in a pie. Fie, fie, fiddle-dee-fee!" The farmer saves the day when he finds another tree and they fill the basket with "More red apples hanging on a tree." The bouncy singsong text begs to be read aloud. The rhyme is easy and smooth, with a catchy refrain. An added surprise is the appearance of Rosie the hen from Rosie's Walk (Macmillan, 1968). The gouache paintings are bright and clear, and the palette includes many colors beyond the primary tones of red, blue, and yellow. There is a cheery border at the top and bottom of each page. The endpapers show the happy couple counting apples from 1 to 10 and back again. A delicious selection from a master of simplicity.-Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.