Before There Was Old MacDonald: Don't Miss This!

CLARION BOOKS, 2025

May I present, for your reading and sharing pleasure, a recent fiction picture book that will make readers of any age smile. THE MAN WHO DIDN'T LIKE ANIMALS is written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by LeUyen Pham.

I'll avoid a spoiler here, but call your attention to my post title and the book jacket's tagline:

Before there was Old MacDonald, there was...

THE MAN WHO DIDN'T LIKE ANIMALS.

Deborah Underwood is a reliably entertaining and original storyteller, and this is a delightful offering that probes the ways in which people can change, and ways one thing leads to another. The cover illustrations (and throughout) enrich an already lively and appealing "series of events" tale with incidental details that actually build to the very clever ending. 

The hard case cover of the book is quite different from the jacket, but both reveal the essentials. The "animals" in the title are eager to appear and provide some surprises. The neighbors (and neighborhood itself) is a very pet-centric community. And the "man" of the title is caring, but NOT for animals of any kind. The man prefers a tidy home to animals. Plants, on the other hand, lend beauty without mess. 

Before the actual text begins, endpapers and dedication pages set the story in motion, revealing some untended animals and the least likely guy to offer help. Apparently, various animals in search of home missed the memo and are tolerant enough of his attitude to win him over, one (and more) pet at a time. Early on, the pet-loving neighbors display their satisfaction that he has changed his mind. In time, word among the animals spreads and surprising developments ensue. It's enough to change minds again, of the "man" and the neighbors. But with surprises. 

There is a definite shift in emotions throughout, from page to page and arrival to arrival. This is an ideal story to share with the very young, but also serves well for early readers who are just becoming aware of predictions and internal relationships. This offers benefits of patterns with similarities and slight shifts in the short but powerful trajectory of a single picture book story. The humor is suited and subtle, inducing smiles for kids and adults alike, even on repeated readings. The visual details throughout invite close examination on every read. Don't miss this one, and take a look at other books by this talented author.