The Sun Is Late and So Is the Farmer
by Philip C. Stead; illus. by Erin E. Stead
Preschool    Porter/Holiday    32 pp.    g
11/22    978-0-8234-4428-1    $18.99

A hungry mule, milk cow, and miniature horse wait for the sun to rise. Declaring that the sun is late (“and so is the farmer”), they go to Barn Owl for advice. Barn Owl gives the trio instructions for persuading the sun to rise, the steps of a journey that will deliver them “all the way to the edge of the world.” They are also instructed to bring Rooster along: “Rooster will know what to do.” The animals muster their courage and set out, pondering the nature of dreams. The gentle text—there is an eloquent opening passage about the silence of the barn in the early-morning hours—leaves space for child listeners to ponder their own dreamscapes. The illustrations, which contribute moments of subtle humor (the edge of the world, the trio imagines, is designated by a sign that says merely, “THE EDGE”), are dominated by beguiling shades of blues and then glow with warm peaches and yellows at the break of day as the trio makes their way to the farmer’s house. Their bravery pays off, as the farmer wakes, and she feeds them—because, yes, Rooster knows what to do: “COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!”

From the November/December 2022 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.