Giant Peach Yodel!

Gr 1–3—When Tall Papa Tom gets a hankerin' to head out to the county Peach-Pickin' Festival, Mama May, Sweet Sister Isabelle, and Little Buddy Earl jump into his old jalopy. Each time they pass a growing crop, Little Buddy Earl belts out a special yodel in its honor ("Tomatoes in the fields, How do you do? I love ketchup and yodel-ay-dee-hoo!"). And though the family appreciates his talent, each member wonders, "Little Buddy Earl sure can yodel. But what's the use of that?" It turns out, yodeling is very useful. What his family can't see as they drive past are that the crops immediately respond to him like flowers to a super-potent dose of Miracle Grow. When the crew finally arrives at Uncle Frankie and Aunt Evelina Josephina's rather pathetic-looking peach orchard, the whole family worries that they'll be the laughing stock of the county. But, Little Buddy Earl sings to a peach, and it grows and grows. So much so that it takes all the grown-ups and "young'uns" to wrestle it down from the tree so they can show it off in the festival parade. The illustrations are done in shades of green, orange, and yellow. Children will enjoy the refrain as well as the silliness of the situation. Loosely based on the Russian folktale "The Turnip," this charming tall tale is suitable for storytimes or individual sharing.—Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA