A Spree in Paree

We first ran across Catherine Stock's "A Spree in Paree" when we were in search of picture books before traveling to Paris. Spree in Paree was perfect. Farmer Monmouton and his animals venture from the country into Paris for a day. Watercolors are amazing. Story reminds me of Doreen Cronin's Click Clack Moo, but I like it even better.

The appeal to me was simple. The group (farmer and his animals)were in the countryside of France and they were going to Paris.Ms. Stock, as illustrator, does a fine job of giving a sense ofplace in her illustrations. I have been to Paris and I think shecaptures its essence. And like me, the animals are "already planning their next trip." A child of picture-book age, would have to have some pretty serious wanderlust to love this book for the same reasons that I do. But my 3 year old granddaughter loves the illustrations of the animals, particularly when they are doing very human-like things, such as visiting a museum and eating in a restaurant. "They are so silly" she exclaims, and then chuckles. That is a four-star recommendation in my book!

"How are you gonna' keep `em down on the farm after they've seen Paree?" The answer to that question is you're not, at least in the case of Monsieur Monmouton's live stock. Monsieur Monmouton is a farmer, and the proud owner of almost a dozen silly sheep, five inquiring geese, three avaricious goats, four almost contented cows, numerous pigeons, two plus size pigs, nine clucking chickens, a proud rooster, and one very put upon dog. During the summer people would often flee Paris to picnic or camp in the farmer's pleasant fields. During the evenings some of his visitors would tell him about life in Paris, and when they left they invited him to visit them. Much as Monsieur Monmouton wanted to visit that beautiful city and as much as he thought he needed a vacation, he had no one to look after his animals. The solution? He piled all of them into his old truck and took them with him. What an adventure that was! The sheep couldn't wait to go to the Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honore to see the latest fashions, while the geese trotted off to the Seine for a boat ride. The Luxembourg Gardens were in peril when the goats arrived, and the cows strolled the Louvre. Author/illustrator Stock pairs her story with glowing watercolor illustrations that fill the pages of this unlikely, uproarious adventure. - Gail Cooke