Senor Pancho Had a Rancho

By Rene Colato lainez

"Old MacDonald Had a Farm" goes multicultural in this rollicking Spanish-English rendition. An abundance of onomatopoeia and tongue-twisters encourages children to laugh and sing along. The colorful illustrations perfectly match the silly text, comparing the two farms and their playful, singing animals.

The barnyard animals on Old MacDonald's and Señor Pancho's farms have a hard time communicating. MacDonald's rooster says cock-a doodle-doo! while Señor Pancho's gallo says quiquiriquí. The English-speaking chick says peep, peep, but el pollito says pio, pio. Then the cow says moo—and la vaca says mu! Maybe they're not so different after all! The animals come together for a barnyard fiesta in a celebration of languages.

A pronunciation guide is included for readers and teachers. This book was awarded Bank Street’s Book of the Year.