Themes/Topics: Animals, Rhymes & Nursery Rhymes, Song
While Tom Farmer naps in the haystack, his animals take over the farmhouse. There are cows in the kitchen, ducks in the cupboard, hens on the hat stand, pigs in the pantry, and even sheep on the sofa! What will happen when Tom Farmer wakes up? June Crebbin's boisterous text - a wild and wacky version of a nursery song modeled on "Skip to My Lou" - and Katharine McEwen's spirited illustrations combine for some riotous barnyard fun.
Knowing names of books and identifying them by the picture on the cover
Turning pages right to left
Making connections between pictures and real life, like noticing their own shoes when they see a picture of shoes.
A whole lot of learning goes into how your toddler is interacting with books now! You’ve been reading to them for two years and now they know how to hold the book so their stuffed animals can see the pictures when your toddler “reads” to them. Your child may even be pointing out interesting things on the page and asking questions just like you do when you read to them. They likely have a favorite book that they want you to read, and that they may even pretend to read to you. This may not seem important as they’re “just pretending” but they’re doing all the things a skilled reader does without actually reading the text. This pretending is an important part of becoming a reader. When they “read” to you, it’s your turn to say, “Again! Again!” and know that you’re building a reader!
Click here to see a full list of milestones for your 2-year-old as well as tips and activities for you and your toddler!
Why did we select this book?
Our book committee looks at hundreds of books. We know we have a winner when everyone starts to read a particular book aloud to each other or starts humming the tune. This picture book, set to the song, "Skip to My Lou," is a fun, chaotic romp through a farmhouse with a group of misbehaving farm animals. There is so much to look at in each picture, we thought children would want to return to the book again and again.
