A gorgeous first picture book which demands to be read aloud by an exciting new author/illustrator about a rowdy and rollicking farm. Suzanne Chitwood's show stopping, eye-popping art style is bound to be the buzz of the season. Drawn in a classical style and "painted" in papers and other materials from top-secret sources, Suzanne's mud-bathing piggies, wiggling weather vanes, be-bop frogs, and groovy owl appear to emerge from the pages of the book. And her musical text features onomatopoeic sounds and funky rhythms that make this book perfect for reading aloud. From morning 'til night, the sights and sounds of a farm are pure delight for readers of Suzanne Tanner Chitwood's Wake Up, Big Barn! Gorgeous and unusual torn-paper collages, using her husband's discarded catalogs, are rich in color and pattern. A rooster bellows his "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" as feathers fly in his exuberance. A closer look reveals that those feathers are actually the red plaids of shirts and the brilliant crimson of flowers; presumably, her husband collects gardening and casual-wear catalogs. Simple, onomatopoeic, and rhyming text make it a terrific read-aloud: "Hip-hop, / bebop, / farm frogs / rock hop!" Every illustration is frame-worthy, from frolicking frogs to muddy pigs to falling cherries ("Ping! Ping!"). This is an impressive first foray into picture books for the talented Chitwood. The artwork is as friendly as it is beautiful, and the lively, rollicking verses will capture the fancy of readers young and old. (Ages 2 to 6) --Emilie Coulter reschool-Kindergarten--Extraordinary paper-collage illustrations wake up a familiar subject for children's books-a sunup to sundown day on the farm. Using assorted patterns and hues from catalog pages, Chitwood creates vibrant roosters, muddy pigs, metallic weather vanes, hungry horses, and fully flared peacocks. The spare, rhythmical text is fresh and lively and includes lines such as: "Wiggle, wiggle weather vane, windy day" and "Hip-hop, bebop, farm frogs rock hop!" Children will be drawn in by the dramatic bright shapes intensified by white backgrounds and amused by the animated creatures populating the barnyard. Observant youngsters will be fascinated by the fragments of letters and numbers and the huge variety of patterns that emerge when the illustrations are examined closely. A great nonsensical bedtime book with artistic flare. Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Ages 3-6. A busy barn comes to life through a series of invigorating torn-paper collages. "Wake up, Big Barn!" A large red rooster, set against an expanse of white, cock-a-doodle-doos across a two-page spread. Other animals are introduced: the mule hee-haws; the cow moos; the pigs, enjoying a mud bath, oink. Other farm elements are noisy, too--the tractor chugs, and the cherries ping as they fall to the ground. Although the book follows activities on the farm through the day, children might not be aware of the passage of time until night falls. They may also find a few of the collages too sophisticated for easy recognition. But for the most part, Chitwood's artwork, bursting with life, is both remarkable for its skill and on target for the audience. Use this in toddler story hours. Listeners will have fun making farm noises, and the art looks even better from a distance than it does from close up. Ilene Cooper Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved A busy barn comes to life through a series of invigorating torn-paper collages. "Wake up, Big Barn!" A large red rooster, set against an expanse of white, cock-a-doodle-doos across a two-page spread. Other animals are introduced: the mule hee-haws; the cow moos; the pigs, enjoying a mud bath, oink. Other farm elements are noisy, too--the tractor chugs, and the cherries ping as they fall to the ground. Although the book follows activities on the farm through the day, children might not be aware of the passage of time until night falls. They may also find a few of the collages too sophisticated for easy recognition. But for the most part, Chitwood's artwork, bursting with life, is both remarkable for its skill and on target for the audience. Use this in toddler story hours. Listeners will have fun making farm noises, and the art looks even better from a distance than it does from close up.--Booklist, February 2002 A rhyming celebration of the barnyard for the toddler set-haven't we seen this before? Bright, striking collages set against an expanse of white background depict the denizens of yet another barnyard. Newcomer Tanner's cut- and torn-paper figures are big and bold and highly textured-almost better for group sharing than one-on-one, as distance pulls the bits of paper into a cohesive whole. A bright red rooster crows with such energy that he sets his feathers flying, and a quintet of frogs dance on the rocks. The text takes an active role in the illustration, capering across