Cows in the Kitchen (by June Crebbin)

The cheerful, stylized illustrations, farm animals, and repetition make this book an instant hit with toddlers. It only takes one page for parents and children to start repeating the sounds and singing their way through the book. Toddlers can read this book by themselves by remembering and repeating the simple phrases.

Katherine McEwen's brightly colored backgrounds create visual excitement by setting off the zany animals. The liberal use of patterns and sweeping sense of movement adds to the fun. Her animals dance upside down with bent legs, wide eyes, and big grins, wreaking havoc in the farmhouse. Children love the idea of making a mess, and here the animals do it for them.