Hurry! Hurry!
written by Eve Bunting
illustrated by Jeff Mack
Harcourt  March 2007
ISBN 9780152054106
Ages 3-5



Rooster is spreading the word: Hurry! Hurry! All the animals rush to the barn--and arrive just in time to greet the tiniest member of the farm family, hatching out of his egg.
 
Eve Bunting's simple energetic text and Jeff Mack's colorful art come together in a joyful book that's perfect for preschoolers.

REVIEWS & AWARDS

Kerlan Award • Author Award

Regina Medal • Author Award

SCCLCYP Award (Dist Body of Workt) • Author Award

School Library Journal

*STARRED REVIEW* The calm of a bucolic farmyard with its grazing sheep and tranquil cows is shattered by a rooster shouting, "HURRY! HURRY!" "COMING! COMING!" answers a jumping goat. "Ready? Ready?" asks a duck of her three ducklings, who respond, "Yes! Yes!" as they lift out of the water and fly toward the barn. Pigs and a sheepdog join the throng standing inside the barn door watching as the newest member of the farm family pecks its way out of an egg. "CHEEP! CHEEP!" and "I'm here! I'm here!" are its first words to the animal community, which greets the arrival with limbs flung high in triumph. The sweet story is filled with movement and excitement as the animals happily rush to witness the event. Acrylic spreads are bright and cheerful, and the simple text is done in bold, colorful type with exclamation marks galore. This charming story celebrates the anticipation of a new life and its long-awaited appearance.—Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI

Booklist

*STARRED REVIEW* "Hurry! Hurry!" shouts a joyful rooster, his wings outstretched, on the opening spread of this exuberant picture book. Across the barnyard, the message spreads: "Coming! Coming!" shouts the goat as it leaps over a fence. "Quick! Quick!" says a cow to her calves. "Go! Go!" urge cheerful sheep parents as they nudge their young. At last, the crowd of eager animals gathers in the barn, and Mack's energetic acrylic paintings show the cause of the happy hullabaloo: a new chick emerging from its shell. In just a few power-packed words, Bunting skillfully ramps up the energy--from the rooster's first excited call and the hush while the chick is hatching to the resounding "Welcome!" that the animals shout to the barnyard's newest arrival. It's Mack's high-spirited pictures, though, that really tell the story. In the happy scenes, the animals race to the barn, watch with awe as a new life emerges, and then celebrate the wonder of the event. A deceptively simple, joyous offering, this will surely enliven story hours, and its enthusiastic tone may rub off on kids who are facing the impending arrival of a new sibling with decidedly less eagerness. Gillian Engberg