Old MacDonald Had a Baby
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A non-traditional family stars in Old MacDonald Had a Baby, a contemporary picture book from Emily Snape and K-Fai Steele.
New babies are challenging! Old MacDonald, a young father, has his hands full. From feeding to diapering to bathing his baby, he soon realizes he needs LOTS of help from his animal friends, including a sheep, a cow, a chicken, a goat, and a dog. A two-dad family and a humorous cast of animals star in this contemporary fun and warm take on the familiar rhyme.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Early parenthood builds into a barnyard menagerie in this variation on "Old MacDonald." One father, brown skinned and bespectacled, heads out for the day; his lighter-skinned, plaid-clad partner waves from the door of their farmhouse residence, babe in arm. As the day unfolds, the latter cares for their infant with the help of a growing retinue of animal friends, among them a dog, a cow, and a chicken who totes a rainbow-ribboned tambourine. Together, the growing group helps with ablutions, feedings ("with a spoonful here,/ and a handful there," Snape writes), and entertainments, even breaking for a tractor-adjacent diaper change ("E-I-E-I-O"). As the day ramps up, then winds down, a loving community emerges from Steele's emotive ink and watercolor art (a cow offers milk, a horse distracts using a frog puppet). Though the meter sometimes feels clunky, the long days ring true, and the vision of an inclusive, affectionate caretaking village shines. Ages 2 5.
