Oh, What a Noisy Farm!

A farm goes from quiet to noisy and back again in this ho-hum semi-cumulative escapade. ``Because the bull was chasing the cow, the farmer's wife shouted, `Stop, stop, you big, old bull!' and chased them around the pasture,'' Ziefert (Pete's Chicken) begins. Soon, the farmer leaps into the fray, a curious goat joins in, and a ``bow wowing'' dog, honking goose and meowing cat bring up the rear. In Bolam's (The House That Jack Built) vision of the busy scene, rough-hewn trees of orange and blue grow from blue-and-green-striped fields, and the sky is likely to be yellow or red. The characters-with the exception of a pink-and-orange cat-are shown as relatively naturalistic cartoons, outlined in thin black strokes. Despite the surreal foliage, the illustrations are no more singular than the plot. So many books invite readers to moo and cackle along; it takes more than this conventional offering to keep up with the pack. Ages 3-up. (Apr.)