Old MacDonald's Things That Go

PreS—In this mash-up of "Old MacDonald" and transportation vehicles, a new storytime song is born. The oversize pages of this picture book are built for holding wide open as readers' arms pan the book's full-bleed spreads around a semicircular crowd to show off the slightly quirky and retro illustrations in this charming title. Most riffs on popular childhood songs have a forced sound to them, but right from the first page, Clarke hooks listeners into following the well-known tune as she introduces a wide range of vehicles, complete with their own sound effects. First comes the bike, with the "ding-ding" of a handle bar bell. It is followed by a truck, a tractor, a combine harvester (the only vehicle that may present those reading the text with a slight challenge), a bus, a boat, a digger, and a fire truck. Not to be outdone, a train and a plane are also included, with the shiny red bike on the final refrain of "Old MacDonald had a farm/He loved things that go!" satisfyingly closing out the tale. Although the illustrations were created digitally, they have the appearance of hand-drawn images, complete with texture and cross-hatching detailing in the sprawling farmland backgrounds. The familiar cast of farm animals are here, too, with plenty of expression and character, offering young readers ample opportunities to giggle as they look for their favorite animal with each page turn.