Most classic children’s songs are classics for a reason – they have catchy tunes, repetitive lyrics, and opportunities for kids to get involved in the action.
Old MacDonald Had a Farm is just one such classic. It couldn’t be simpler – the lyrics name some of the different animals that can be found a farm, and give kids a chance to make funny animal noises. They also include nonsense lyrics (E-I-E-I-O), which are always fun to say and easy for kids to remember!
Kids are happy to sing this song again…and again…and again…It’s enough to drive anyone mad!
Fear not, though, because the Raincity Librarian is here for you. Here are three picture books that put a new spin on an old classic, and might just make your storytimes or programs a bit more exciting for everyone!
Forget the animals – Old MacDonald has heavy duty machinery! Great illustrations, trucks and construction equipment, and a Mrs. MacDonald who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. There’s lots to love in this cute, fun story.
More tools! In this version of the song, Old MacDonald and his animals are working on a surprise, and are pulling out all the tools in the woodshop to do it. There’s sawing, drilling, chiselling, filing, painting and more, with fun sound effects to match!
Rachel Isadora puts an international spin on the old farmyard classic, transporting the action to Africa! Old Mikamba’s farm is filled with all sorts of exciting animals like lions and elephants, with great sound effects to match. A fun and refreshing twist, with Isadora’s signature fantastic illustrations.
Hopefully these three twists on Old MacDonald will help inject a bit of variety into your programs. Enjoy!
What a fun post- I love having this theme broken into such a diverse group of books- a wonderful idea to share with the kids!
Thanks so much! Kids always have their favourite songs and stories that they love to hear again and again, but sometimes it’s nice to change things up a bit and try something new!
Such a fun post! Even though I’m from Belgium and so we don’t know that many English children’s songs, Old MacDonald is still well known so it’s fun to see there are so many different books based on the song 🙂 Super fun for kids!
Thanks for sharing your reviews at Literacy Musing Mondays!
We love the Old Macdonald had a woodshop book!
I had read Old Mikamba- loved the African-based animals retelling of “Old Macdonald” and we got to learn of new animals in the process.