Thing That Bothered Farmer Brown

Farmer Brown

by Teri Sloat, Nadine Bernard Westcott (Illustrations)

Farmer Brown and all his animals are ready for sleep, but a tiny whiny humming sound keeps them awake

Genres: Picture Books, Storytime, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd read other Farmer Brown books by Teri Sloat to Alena and noticed we missed this one. Teri Sloat has a real talent for rhymes. Very readable. Alena and I both enjoyed this one.

[Mary Teske]

This is a short children's story about a farmer who could not sleep while a fly was buzzing around his room. The famer tried to swat the fly but missed and with each attempt he woke up a different animal in the barn. By the time he finally got the fly, he had woken every animal on his farm, but was able to sleep soundly. I thought the book would be great to read to a kinder or first grade classroom, the illustrations and animated animals would be a hit for sure.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

An example of rhyme done right! An iterative, cumulative story with lots of rhythm and rhyme. I wonder if I could pull together a "pests" storytime theme with mosquitoes and flies and the like...?

[Allie Mueller]

Type: Picture book
Literary genre: Poetry
Awards: None
Summary: Farmer Brown hears a humming noise while he is sleeping, and bothers the entire farm, trying to get rid of the noise that is bothering him. When the noise finally stops, the whole farm falls asleep. The noise comes back, but this time the animals hear it first.
Critique:
Questions: Pg. 6: What do you think the humming sound is? Can the illustration help you figure it out? Pg. 10: What ending sound do these rhyming words all have? Pg. 14: Listen to these two words, "neighed, brayed". Do these rhyme? Now look at them on the board. Do the ending sounds have to be spelled the same to rhyme? Pg. 22: does smack rhyme with cat? Why not? What does rhyme with cat? What about smack?
Craft elements: I love the repetition used in this poem. It keeps the story flowing and helps kids remember rhyming words. I can see kids listening to this book as a read aloud, catching on to the repeated phrases, and saying them as they listen to the story. There are so many examples of rhyming words, so this would be a perfect resource for teaching students about ending sounds and rhyming.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining cumulative tale that shows how one little irritant can make everyone fussy. The rhyming narrative is fun to read aloud, with onomatopoeia and repetition that will appeal to younger children. And we are big fans of Nadine Bernard Westcott's illustrations - they are colorful and cartoonish and really help to tell the story. We enjoyed reading this book together.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm wondering if i will have to read this again tomorrow night...ever since it's appeared in the house, i have been required to read it at bedtime. quite fun. at bedtime all is quiet at the farm except for a buzzing buzzy bug irritating the farmer who in turn rouses the farm.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good rhymes in a fairly fun story, but the artwork just doesn't grab me. Maybe it would work for kids, but a lot of the illustrations are very busy. I think kids would have to sit very close to the book to enjoy it. Definitely not my first choice in Down on the Farm books.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

*snorts* This one gave me a good chuckle, because I know just how annoying a buzzing insect can be when you're JUST TRYING TO SLEEP!!! Overall, the book was fun, although the illustration style wasn't my cup of tea.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A circular kind of rhyme about a pesky mosquito who keeps the farmer from sleep and his efforts to dispatch it disturbs the animals.

Great, silly illustrations.

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really impressed by the story or artwork