cover image Dooby Dooby Moo

Dooby Dooby Moo

Doreen Cronin, , illus. by Betsy Lewin. . S&S/Atheneum, $16.95 (40pp) ISBN 978-0-689-84507-9

What do you get when a bunch of farm animals decide to enter a talent contest to win... a trampoline? Sounds like the latest joke at the watercooler, but it's just Cronin and Lewin (of Click, Clack, Moo fame) at it again, with an off-the-wall tale poised to deliver giggles galore. Here they reprise their bovine beauties crooning à la Sinatra. But they are not the only contestants of the barnyard persuasion: the pigs practice an interpretive dance and Duck belts out his rendition of "Born to Be Wild" in performances sure to amuse young and adult readers alike. While children will enjoy the pure silliness of singing animals alone, older readers will appreciate Cronin's tongue-in-cheek asides, such as the footnote about the trampoline being "slightly used," along with a legal disclaimer. Lewin's expansive brush strokes pay further tribute to this tall tale of animals that sing and dance behind closed barn doors. By story's end, the animals have returned to their regular routines, except for the extra "boing" in their song—whose source comes clear in Lewin's closing image of the animals enjoying the well-earned prize. Fans will hope for many more farmyard adventures from this dynamic duo. Ages 3-7. (Aug.)