cover image My Son John

My Son John

Jim Aylesworth. Henry Holt & Company, $15.95 (1pp) ISBN 978-0-8050-1725-0

As in his The Cat & the Fiddle & More , rhyme-slinger Aylesworth enjoyably extends a traditional verse to picture-book length. An idealized day in a farm setting begins with ``Yellow yellow sunup, / My son Ed. / Up he jumps / From out of bed.'' Chores and lessons follow: ``Bonny bonny bridle, / My daughter Rose. / Combs her mare / In old work clothes.'' After dinner, the original rhyme winds up the festivities, with John in bed, ``one shoe off and one shoe on.'' The illustrations similarly spring from the traditional; Frampton ( Whaling Days ) has extended them, too, using vivid oil paints instead of black ink to print both his woodcuts of 14 busy children and the bouncy verses on facing pages. Life on the farm, with every family member cheerfully pitching in, may not be like this anymore (if it ever was), but the musical rhymes and vibrant colors are great fun. Ages 4-7. (Mar.)