Punk Farm on Tour

by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

From the author of National Book Award finalist Hey, Kiddo.FARMER JOE IS heading off to a Tractor Society Conference in Reno. But meanwhile, back at the farm . . . . . . Cow, Sheep, Pig, Goat, and Chicken are getting ready to rock across the U.S.A. as they set out on a Punk Farm tour! Only, their beat-up old tour van is threatening to ruin their plans. Can the wheels on the van go round and round all the way from Maine to Colorado? This rollicking sequel to Punk Farm will have kids cheering along as their favorite rock star farm animals take the nation by storm!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Music, Childrens, Storytime, Humor, Fiction

40 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 20, 2011

About the author

Jarrett J. Krosoczka, known since boyhood as "JJK," is the New York Times bestselling author/illustrator behind more than forty books for young readers, including his wildly popular Lunch Lady graphic novels, select volumes of the Star Wars™: Jedi Academy series, and Hey, Kiddo, which was a National Book Award Finalist. Krosoczka creates books with humor, heart, and deep respect for his young readers—qualities that have made his titles perennial favorites on the bookshelves of homes, libraries, and bookstores over the past twenty years.

In addition to his work in print, Krosoczka produced, directed, and performed in the full-cast audiobook adaptations of his graphic novels. The Hey, Kidoo audiobook garnered both Audie and Odyssey Awards for excellence in audiobook production. The Lunch Lady audiobook cast is led by Kate Flannery (The Office) and is rounded out by famed audiobook narrators and real kid actors! Krosoczka has been a guest on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, has been profiled in The New York Times, was featured on Good Morning America, and has delivered three TED Talks, which have accrued millions of views online. Krosoczka has garnered millions of more views online via the tutorials he has produced for YouTube and TikTok. As well as working on his books' film and television adaptions, Krosoczka has also written for The Snoopy Show (Apple TV+) and served as a consultant for Creative Galaxy (Prime Video), and appeared in live segments for the show.

Realizing that his books can inspire young readers beyond the page, Krosoczka founded School Lunch Hero Day, a national campaign celebrating school lunch staff. A consummate advocate for arts education, Krosoczka also established the Joseph and Shirley Krosoczka Memorial Youth Scholarships, which fund art classes for underprivileged children in his hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Krosoczka lives in western Massachusetts with his spouse, their three children, pugs Ralph and Frank, and a French bulldog named Bella Carmella.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inflated egos, groupies, drinking... it's all there (in the background of the drawings) for the adults to enjoy and snicker at while the tots will be moshing to "On the bus go...". Another solid entry from the punk farm crew.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krosoczka, Jarret J. 2007. Punk Farm On Tour. Knopf.

For those that can't get enough Punk Farm, let me introduce you to Punk Farm On Tour. Sure, the book has been out a while. And plenty of you may already be good friends with Sheep and his fellow band members: Goat, Chicken, Cow, and Pig. This band is looking to take advantage of Farmer Joe's absence to go on a tour of their own. Once the broken-down van (looks eerily familiar to me) gets a makeover (inside and out) the band is on their way. But what song will be their new hit, the next big thing? Any guesses? Inspiration keeps hitting again and again as the band incorporates their road trip into the song--Wheels on the Van.

This one is a fun companion to the first book. One that I greatly enjoyed.

[Skylar Burris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this to be poorly written, as well as a book that tries too hard to be "cool." It's mostly the writing, however, that puts me off. Read something like "Harlod and the Purple Crayon" and then read this...it just makes me shudder. I often tolerate bad writing in children's books provided my daughter enjoys the books, but she didn't seem too impressed with this one.

[Phyll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Same issues as the first book. Overall the writing is uninspired.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The animals on the farm are going on tour while the farmer is away. While I loved this and found it hilarious my preschoolers didn't get the concept of a band on tour. Elementary and up

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun spin on summer road trips. It's high energy fun with a healthy dose of imagination that young kids will dig! When Farmer Joe packs up for the National Tractor Society Conference in Reno, the animals know it's time for their band Punk Farm to gear up for a road trip. First, they need to get their ride ready: the Rock Van. So Cow, Chicken, Goat, Pig and Sheep head to Maine for their first gig and hope that inspiration will hit for their new "killer" song.

Punk Farm's travels take them from Maine to Florida to Colorado, as they go from gig to gig. This book lends itself to great imaginary play for energetic little dudes, whether they create their own animal jam band, or take an imaginary road trip. I love Krosoczka's energy, artwork and imagination - rock on!

[JD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this book was not what I expected and certainly caught my children and I off guard. But in a totally good way. I picked the book up at the library because it looked like a change of pace from our normal reads and had fun artwork. As we settled down to read it tonight, the first few pages my 4-year-old was looking at me bewildered. She just didn't get it. But once we got to the song and she realized what they were singing, she loved and it and sang along with me. Definitely some clichés and some references that went over my kids heads, but over all they enjoyed it.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pig, Cow, Sheep, Chicken, and Goat are so good they go on tour. While Farmer Joe goes to a conference the animals go on the road. I love that Pig hangs out with his groupies. They have to drive a beat up van and the song they sing is "The Wheels on the Bus". They go to Florida and sing to the alligators, seagulls, dolphins, and flamingos. And, hey, the rabbits are back and the one is still wearing the hat that reads "obey". What is up with that? I hope we see more of Punk Farm in the future. These two books are so much fun.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The barnyard punk rockers are at it again. Only now they're taking their act on the road. Farmer Joe has left the farm to attend the National Tractor Society Conference, and in his absence the band fixes up the broken down van and goes on tour. Young kids will get a kick out of singing along with the band's unique version of The Wheels on the Bus, as the band travels across the country, getting into one problem after another. Just as with the first Punk Farm book, this sing along/read aloud story will be lots of fun to share with kids.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. What kind of band only plays one verse of one song at each stop? Craziness. Moira loves it because the animals are playing music and the song they sing is a version of "The Wheels On the Bus" which is still a favorite song. I hate it because the story isn't well told. It's like the author was trying to use as few words as possible to get the story across, but he kind of failed. Sika appears to agree with me about this book.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Punk Farm is back, and this time their taking a rusty old van on tour. The revisited children's song this time around is "The Wheels on the Bus," now sung as "The Wheels on the Van" documenting the problems with road tripping in a real clunker. Lyrics like, "The engine in the van goes clunk, clank, clunk!" are sure to resonate with both rocker parents and happy-to-make-noises kids. Excellent as a read-aloud, particularly with air guitar solos added.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Farmer Joe is going away for a few days to a tractor conference. While he is away the animals on his farm go on tour as a punk farm band.
Chicken is a worrier, cow is optimistic, sheep is a leader, goat is laid-back, and pig is all about appearances and status. They load into an old van and head off to perform what they hope will be their hit song. Problems arise.
Children will enjoy the funny illustrations that complement the words.

[Alicia Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Punk Farm is going on tour, but their van seems to give them trouble at every turn. Will they make it to all of their shows and back to the farm before Farmer Joe gets back? Readers will enjoy the updated version of "The Wheels on the Bus" throughout the book and the mischievous tone.

For: farm animal fans or punk fans; readers wanting a book with musicality.

Possible red flags: breaking rules; some implied interaction with groupies.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous follow-up to _Punk Farm_! In _Punk Farm_, the farm animals sing a punk version of "Old MacDonald" and in this book they sing a punk version of "The Wheels on the Bus". Clever!
I like how Jarrett spoofs what real rock bands are like--such as the autographs, the groupies, the shades, etc.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great follow-up to Punk Farm. He added new details like the horse security guards which made me laugh, Pig's expressions and hilarity, and the right animals for each location they visit on tour - like flamingos in Florida and moose in Maine and lynx in Colorado. I also like the lettering of Punk Farm and the text in the book.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked finding this sequel. The book part inside the covers has paintings of the characters laid out on maps all friendish like. Hail TC. Hail Emily. The van is painted with lightning stripes so it is stylish. Pig is always caught smooching after the shows. i don't know how these animals keep the farmer in the dark. I mean, punk is loud.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

usually don't like sequels but this one is awesome! I want my copy signed! I can't wait for a third (hopefully). There seems to be a lot of drama going on with these animals. I want more behind the scenes!

[Wrigley · Rating 2 out of 5]

it's alright, but there are some better books.

[mom says:I was slow to warm up to this one. I thought it was pointless and not particularly well written, but by the end, I did have a lot of fun singing a punk version of The Wheels on the Bus.]

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I took this book home I thought to myself there is no way that I will like this book. Boy was I wrong I thought it was creative and sweet and overall just a fun read. I like that it shows musicians that today's parents may have enjoyed. Ages 4+

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Acrylic paint illustrations with details that enhance the story (i.e. Pig's escapades with his fans). The story (song performed by band) is a twist on "The Wheels on the Bus" and makes for a fun read-aloud and audience participation. A fun book! Themes: music, concerts, farms, farm animals.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a funny story, and a creative way to show what a band tour would be like. I liked the funny spin on "The Wheels on the Bus," and singing animals is always a good idea, especially funny ones like goat, and his laid back attitude.

[Brittaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was part 2 to another book, Punk Farm. I read it to my 11 month old nephew and he absolutely loved both of them, maybe it was the cool tunes. Personally I liked the original book the best, but this was nice.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the sequel to "Punk Farm", and it features the song "Wheels on the Bus." I like this book better because there is definitely a stronger plot than the first, and there is more character development between the farm animals.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun! I love that it takes a well known children's song and puts a twist on it. The kids can guess what might come next in the song. The pictures are fun and it's great to see who the kids think will get back to the farm first.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Punk Farm animals are on tour! This is a fun read-aloud, with singing ("The wheels on the van") and a bit of geography. The kids spotted the regional animals at each stop. These are farm animals with attitude! A hit with kindergarten.

[Aquinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A busy story that is told well, interspersed with lyrics from performances by an animal rock band. A good read-aloud when you have an active group or want listeners to participate in some noisy fun.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest when I first started reading this book I wasn't sure how I felt about it but as I continued going through the pages it really grew on me. I think it would be a fun addition to an Elementary classroom to introduce students to a different style of music.

[Mary Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wait - the band goes on tour! It can get better:)

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book, but it was still a great book to read during storytimes or for kindergarten classrooms.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun book. Follow up to Punk Farm. My 3 year old loves them both.