Tractors do many different jobs on the farm. Smiling Old MacDonald and his big red friend demonstrate a goodly number of them as his usually noisy animals quietly look on. He plants the seeds, waters the fields, harvests wheat and spreads manure. He even takes his animal friends to the fair before climbing the stairs for a well-deserved rest. Carter's illustrations, acrylic paint over drywall compound and foam board, are as enticing as ever. Unfortunately, the text tries to squeeze in to Old MacDonald's nursery rhyme. Sometimes the machine name doesn't quite fit into the verse: "Old MacDonald drives a tractor. And on that tractor, he pulls a cultivator. Smooth it here. Smooth it there. Maybe Old MacDonald could find a cultivator . . . for his hair!" However, machinery-minded toddlers will not mind in the least. This likely offers them a few machines they haven't yet heard of. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

This book focuses on the many jobs a tractor can help a farmer do (""Plow until that field is clear!""). Based on the familiar song, both the rhymes and rhythm falter in places. The double-page spread art is composed of foam board, drywall compound, and acrylic paint, giving it a three-dimensional appearance. Readers will especially enjoy Old MacDonald's nosy farm animals. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

PreS-Gr 2-Carter's playful take on the classic song is destined to be a storytime hit. A tractor peeks out from behind the barn doors on the title page, and then it's off to work as Old MacDonald takes it out to the fields for plowing, fertilizing, harvesting, and more. The bouncy text follows the pattern of the familiar song, and kids will love the sound effects, like the seed drill's "Pfffft, pfffft." And if some of the text works a little too hard to fit into the expected rhythm ("Smooth it here./Smooth it there./Maybe Old MacDonald/could find a cultivator.../for his hair!"), kids will be too busy giggling at the artwork to notice (e.g., one scene shows the farmer running under his water sprayer in his underwear on a hot day). Carter's uniquely textured illustrations, created from foam board, drywall compound, and acrylic paint, nearly leap off the pages. As an added bonus, different animals appear throughout, enabling the pictures to be used for the traditional verses as well. Add this one to your programming resource shelf.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.