Old Mikamba Had a Farm by Rachel Isadora

Old Mikamba Had a Farm Reviews

• 
  Matt

  Imagine the African Sahara and that version of Old MacDonald. Going through the number of animals and their sounds, which goes on and on. Neo was not sure if the sounds really were right... since he has never heard of a grunting hippo!
• 
  Karen Witzler

  Old Mikamba is Old MacDonald on an African game preserve. Some unexpected animals such as dassie (rock hyrax) and springbok are included. Picture book for toddlers. I was a bit disappointed as I was hoping for scenes of an actual farm in an African setting.
• 
  Lisa Lathrop

  1) This the Text to Text African version of Old MacDonald Had a Farm. It would be such a fun read-aloud with any group of young elementary students! In this case, old Mikamba describes his hippo, giraffe, elephant, springbok and other African animals and the sounds they make in the rhythmic pattern of our English version of Old MacDonald Had a Farm.
  
  2) Old Mikamba Had A Farm has the same familiar rhythmic pattern as does our Old MacDonald rhyming song and also illustrates some of the same animals we see in America (parrot, elephant, and hippo to name a few). Delightful collaged illustrations use African cloth patterns, wood-like bark, and children who have obvious differences from how we dress and look in America. Of course, children are also introduced to native African animals and the sounds like make as well. The last two pages of the text summarizes all the animals in the book, and interesting facts about each....especially that some of them are on the endangered species list.
  
  3) Bloom's Taxonomy Questions:
  1 - Creating: How would you protect yourself from the animals in the book that are obviously dangerous to humans?
  2 - Analyzing: What do you think is the main idea of this book?
  3- Understanding: Is this book really the same as Old MacDonald Had a Farm? Why or why not?
  4 - Evaluate: What change could you make to the title of the book to show the difference from our American version of the story?
  5 - Remembering: - Can you name all the animals that are the same in our country?
  6: - Applying - Draw an illustration. Put some animals you think would be dangerous in cages and others you believe are not dangerous out amongst the people in the zoo.
• 
  Ellen

  Old Mikamba is a farmer just like old MacDonald. But on this farm he has a lion, an elephant, a baboon, an ostrich, and more! Whether it's a cheetah who goes grrr-grrr here or a a warthog who goes snort-snort there, this is a great book to use with a tutee or in a story-time, with a tune everyone knows, a blend of familiar and unfamiliar words and sounds, and eye-catching illustrations. The second grader I was working with gave it four stars.
• 
  Queerromani

  A rewrite of Old MacDonald. Why not just write a new song?
• 
  Kimberly

  Very cute! Might be fun to use during an Africa or Jungle/Savannah themed storytime.
• 
  Denise

  This is the tune Old MacDonald with your toddler-favorite African wild animals instead of the usual barnyard gang. I was disappointed because it wasn’t about actual African farming, which is probably my problem. The art is cute.
• 
  Molly Cluff (Library!)

  Essentially "Old Macdonald had a farm" but with grassland animals.
• 
  Tracey

  picture book (that can be sung). I read this to a mixed grade class, using a helper to hold the book and myself playing the guitar--surprisingly (to me at least), the kids LOVED singing along (even if we kept saying McDonald instead of Mikamba). We did talk about each of the different animals on each page a bit so we could agree on what they might sound like, etc., but we went through all 13 verses, LOUDLY and appreciatively. A super big hit with the younger grades (1st through 4th?) and even some (but not all) of the older 5th-6th graders.
  
  Side note: I also recommend other books by Rachel Isadora if you are looking to diversify your shelves and book displays. Her illustrations are always vibrant and kid-friendly.
  
  Another side note: none of the kids asked what a "game farm" was, but I was prepared to explain that in Africa they have wild game reserves that people can visit--either to view and photograph the animals, like a zoo, and sometimes to hunt (insert sad expression).
• 
  Barbara

  As she has done with many traditional tales, the author/illustrator sets the familiar "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" somewhere in Africa. This decision allows readers to encounter 14 different animal species, many of whom are the endangered list. Young readers will delight in the sounds made by a baboon, a flat lizard, a dassie, and a warthog, among others, and certainly want to sing along as all manner of animals fill Old Mikamba's farm. The collage illustrations, created with oil paints, printed paper, palette paper, ink, and pencil, are lively and interesting. I must confess to a fondness for the elephant. This picture book makes an excellent addition to book shelves dedicated to young readers, but it's still fun for older readers to read aloud to much audience participation.
• 
  Kelsey

  Age: Toddler-Kindergarten
  Animals: Baboon, elephant, zebra, cheetah, dassie, warthog, hippo,giraffe, lizard, springbok, parrot, ostrich, rhino, lion
  Culture: Africa
  
  A fantastic addition to the Old MacDonald collection, this picture book explores the animals of the Sahara with sublime variety. The animal noises would be so much fun for a preschool audience to imitate. I am particularly fond of the variety of media art used and the eclectic borders that surround each new animal. AND in the back, Isadora provides one nonfiction sentence describing each animal. I love it more the more I think about it!
  
• 
  Jessica

  I was a little disappointed with this book. It is a new version of the "Old MacDonald" Song based on African animals, but I expected more from this children's book. The animal sounds destroy the rhythm and flow of the song and frankly, some of these animals do not make a particular sound, apart from what the book suggests. (I have never heard a giraffe make any sort of sound.) It is however, a different approach to introducing children to animals from around the world and the illustrations are unbelievable. My favorite is the Elephant, but I do not think that I would purchase this book for my library.
• 
  Summer

  Cute little multicultural adaptation of "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" with African animals instead of domestic ones... and therein lies my only real issue with the book - how is Mikamba able to have a farm of undomesticated animals like zebras and baboons? It kind of defeats one of the main points of the original song itself. But that's the adult in me overthinking things, maybe. Nevertheless, I do like the way it introduces kids to exotic animals and the noises they make in song that is familiar to them.
  
  **edit 12/2/2013 : I stand corrected! There are game farms with these animals on them in South Africa. So, Mikamba jumps from three stars to four stars!
• 
  Esther Moss

  Interest level: 3-5 years
  Reading level: not available, probably somewhere around a level D for F&P
  
  Genre: traditional literature - As she does with many books, author Rachel Isadora has taken a classic story (the song Old McDonald) and put it in the setting of rural Africa.
  
  Mentor traits:
  Voice: Since this book is very rhythmic and can be sung, I would use it to demonstrate voice and how a book can be a poem.
  
  Integration: I would use this book with young or struggling readers. I think it would be a great read-along because the large print would allow students to point along. Sounding out the animal sounds is great practice for reading isolated sounds, like ,"ee-i-ee-i-oh"
• 
  Vivian

  Children are initially baffled by this version of the song so familiar to them. Adults, however, find it refreshingly delightful. What a wonderful way to introduce new animals and culture to little ones!
  
  BABOON (ooh-ha-ha), ELEPHANT (baraa-baraa), ZEBRA (whinny-whinny), CHEETAH (grrrr-grrrr), DASSIE (trill-trill), WARTHOG (snort-snort), HIPPO (grunt-grunt), GIRAFFE (bleat-bleat), LIZARD (hiss-hiss), SPRINGBOK (ah-ah-ah), PARROT (squawk-squawk), OSTRICH (chirp-chirp), RHINO (bellow-bellow), and LION (roar-roar).
  
  There's a little bit of descriptive information about each beast included at the end of the book.
• 
  Samantha

  Take Old MacDonald and move him to Africa and you have this book. Various animals native to the continent of Africa are featured and a sound is attributed to each. Following the story is a two page spread that gives readers facts about each of the animals that appeared in text as well as the author's motivation for writing this version of the classic children's song.
  
  Oil paints, printed/palette paper, ink and pencil were all used to create the artwork. This is a great read aloud, but the artwork is reason enough to make this a must see. PreK-2.
• 
  Great Books

  Journey to Africa and experience farm life in a different way with this new interpretation of Old MacDonald. In this version, children are introduced to a menagerie of African animals and their sounds, beautifully illustrated by Caldecott Honor winner Rachel Isadora. Less familiar animals like baboons, dassies, warthogs, and springboks are featured with more familiar ones like lizards, rhinos, and lions. There are sounds for each animal to add to the E-I-E-I-O of it all. The final pages include extra information for each animal. Reviewer 19
• 
  Michal Hope

  A wonderful new alternative for Old McDonald Had a Farm! This artfully pleasing picture book takes the old version and puts an African spin on it. The artwork is beautiful with many textures and accurate depictions of each animal on the farm. Of course, there are not just the traditional animals associated with Africa. There is a glossary at the end which tells you more about each animal. My 4yo was very interested in the ones he did not recognize so we spent time going through the glossary. This is a very valuable resource for integrating art and music into the classroom content!
• 
  Rachael

  Did you know that a zebra makes a whinny sound? Do you know what a Dassie is? Old Mikamba Had a Farm is an African animal version of the classic song 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm.' The collage style illustrations are beautifully done and there is plenty of white space on every page, making it a great group read aloud. On the last pages of the story there are descriptions for every animal included in the book. I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to share it in my preschool storytimes!
• 
  Anne

  This is my favorite of Isadora's nursery rhyme retellings set in Africa. It does a great job of showing kids that "farms" can contain more than pigs and cows, and there are many types of farms. There are some great, lesser known (at least in America) animals included with wonderful sound effects to be made. A winner!
  
  My only quibble is that it goes on a bit long. I plan to use it in my toddler storytime on farms next week and I will shorten it. But I still think it's outstanding!
• 
  Laura

  An African spin on Old McDonald, this beautiful version features African animals with grrrs and trills. Sure to be a hit with the preschool set! The final pages of the book include brief information about each animal featured in the song.
• 
  Heila

  These illustrations are AMAZING. I loved them. They seem to dance and shine. Riffing on the classic "Old MacDonald" song, I wasn't sure how successful an African version would - but it worked. This book has other animals that are native to parts of Africa instead of the usual barnyard ones.
• 
  Mely

  Such a unique spin off a favorite children's song. Plenty of animals to learn about. Had my toddler interested and wanting to know more about these different animals that she doesn't typically see. We loved making up noises what we thought each animal sounded like.
• 
  Lynn Davidson

  Old Mikamba has a game farm in Africa with fascinating animals on it. This book can be sung to the tune of Old MacDonald Had a Farm as readers get to learn the sounds the animals make. In the back of the book are interesting facts about each animal mentioned. Lovely illustrations.
• 
  Sam

  Cute collage/multimedia singalong book about Old Mikamba's farm of Saharan/desert animals. Not an #ownvoices authored book, but still popular and interactive (especially with animal finger puppets!).
• 
  Edward Sullivan

  "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" is recast in an African setting with indigenous critters.