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Summary
Summary
Why the cheese stand alone?
In this hilarious riff on the favorite nursery rhyme "The Farmer in the Dell," readers will discover what really happened to that hunk of cheddar.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-A rat living in the dell wonders why the posted rules and regulations state that the cheese stands alone-especially when it is a tasty-looking hunk of cheddar standing uselessly in a meadow. Napkin in hand, he goes to investigate. In this reverse version of "The Farmer in the Dell," the rat is then joined by a cat, a dog, a child, a mother, and finally the farmer father, all of whom initially insist that the cheese must stand alone, and then are persuaded to consider that the rule might actually be a silly one worth challenging. The farmer decides that if they are going to eat the cheese, they might as well make a party out of it, and everyone goes to fetch apples, pears, sausages, milk, and, of course, crackers. The folk-art quality of the illustrations is rich with country colors-barn reds, field greens, and earthy yellows, and the cartoon animals are funny and expressive. A smattering of words and music from the song is worked in effectively on most pages, and the full lyrics are printed on the last page, useful since this book will no doubt be the featured star in a number of sing-alongs.-Susan Moorhead, New Rochelle Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
With a hi-ho the dairy-o, Palatini (the Bad Boys series) tells the story of just how tempting it is to abandon the "Rules and Regulations" that state "the cheese stands alone" in the dell. Like the familiar song on which the story is based, the narrative introduces the characters one by one--the "scurrying and sneaking" rat, the finicky cat, the dog for whom thinking is "not an easy thing," and a girl and her farmer parents--all of whom eventually decide to ignore the rules. With yet another artistic style, Johnson and Fancher (The Day Ocean Came to Visit) pump up the humor as they cleverly combine cartoon layouts, full-bleed paintings, speech bubbles and textured backgrounds with actual lyrics and music staffs strewn between blades of grass and bits of clothing. The rat in his green checked vest rubs his hands with sniveling worry like Uriah Heep. A sidebar gives "THe Cat's EviDencE" for his estimation of the rat's character. The dog, in his baseball cap with his pink tongue hanging out, is as genial and slow-witted as the story makes him out to be. The surprise ending features the rat ostensibly stealing away the cheese as the other characters prepare for their party snack, but the rat says directly to readers, "Shame on you for what you were thinking. I may be a sneaky rat... but I'm still one big party animal." Ages 4-8. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
In this reworking of ""The Farmer in the Dell,"" the rat decides to eat the cheese. He's joined, in reverse order, by the characters from the song, culminating in a picnic for all. Their faces are particularly expressive; the textured collages are partly composed of camouflaged words and music notes. Pair this with the song for a rollicking storytime. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Asking a question that has no doubt troubled millions of thinking children down through the years--just why should the cheese stand alone?--a rat grabs a napkin and sets off for the big chunk of cheddar that's fenced off down in the dell. On the way, Rat is intercepted by the Cat, the Dog, the Child and her parents, all of whom realize, upon reflection, that it's a silly rule from a silly song. Placing at least as many words into the pictures as Palatini puts into her text, Johnson and Fancher craft a rolling rural setting in which snippets of relevant, low-contrast verbiage fill out the greenery, create patterns on the characters' clothes and are even imprinted on the cheese--which serves as the centerpiece of a general picnic at the end. Verses to "Farmer in the Dell" on the last page, plus an animated reading/interview with the author on the publisher's website, provide bonuses to this genially subversive outing. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Palatini's uproarious spoof on 'The Farmer in the Dell" begins at the end of the song: the cheese stands alone. While eyeing the solitary chunk of cheddar in a field, a rat rethinks the order of things: 'Give me one good reason why the cheese stands alone . . . Why should good food go to waste because of some silly song?" Dashing off for a nosh, he encounters the cat, who joins him in his trot toward the cheese. Then the dog appears, as well as the rest of the song's characters, who make a grand picnic from the towering cheese wedge. Children will easily overlook the flat ending as they delight in Palatini's raucous twist on the ubiquitous song (the original's lyrics close the book). The high-energy, mixed-media illustrations, which appear in multiple, comics-style frames on several spreads, turn up the silliness with the cast of expressive animals--the cunning rat, the airhead dog--who speak in funny, sly asides. Best for small groups, who can view the detailed pictures up close, this will be a read-aloud hit.--Engberg, Gillian Copyright 2007 Booklist