Independent Reading level: level M
Awards: N/A ( )

Picture book-

This book is about different animals on the farm who take ingredients from the farmers garden to make food for themselves at night. It all started when the rooster watched the cooking channel through the window of the farm house. When the farmer and his wife realized all the food in the garden was starting to go missing, they picked the rest of it and brought it in the house to eat. So the animals had to cancel their fiesta. When the farmer and his wife left to go to the fair, they broke into the house, and used the food to cook.

This is one of my all time favorite kids books. My copy of it is very worn and loved. I loved the clothes the chickens wear. Their sassy attitudes kind of remind me of my chickens I have back at home.

Rooster is sick of eating the same thing day in and day out, so he decides to spice things up (literally) by making some salsa to share with the other chickens. His culinary experiment sparks other barnyard animals to try whipping up some other Mexican food treats like guacamole and nachos, which in turn inspires Rooster to call for a fiesta!

This book was on a recommended list of Cinco de Mayo picture books. It is not actually about Cinco de Mayo itself, but I think it would make a fine compliment to informational texts in a classroom setting. It's also just a fun book to read -- a little bit whimsical with a happy ending for all and upbeat language, including just enough of those repetitive lines that kids love without being overly redundant. The illustrations are a little more cartoon-ish then I usually enjoy, but I think it works well with this silly plot. I highly recommend it for sharing with young readers in one-on-one or group settings, whether it's near Cinco de Mayo or not! ( )

Fun, fictional story where all the different farm animals end up making/cooking various dishes for their own meals. This book incorporates children-friendly recipes throughout.

The illustrations are incredibly rich and colorful, covering every page with the text as an overlay. The animals depicted are cartoonish and anthropomorphic.

Maybe 3.5 stars, as it wasn't all that special. Awfully darn cute, though, with a nice rhythm to read aloud, and three delicious healthy recipes in the back! ( )