Product Description

Tippy, tippy, tippy, Pat!
That's the sound three hungry bunnies make when the sun goes down and the moon comes up and Mr. McGreely's garden smells yum, yum, yummy. While he's dreaming of his mouth-watering carrots, the bunnies are diving over fences and swimming trenches to get the veggies first!

Hammer, hammer, hammer, Saw!
That's the sound Mr. McGreely makes when the sun comes up and the moon goes down and he sees what those twitch-whiskers have done....Nibbled leaves! Empty stalks! Mr. McGreely will build something bigger and better, sure to keep even pesky puff-tails away.

Children will cheer for the bunnies -- or for Mr. McGreely -- as they delight in Candace Fleming's clever sound effects and G. Brian Karas's vibrant, funny illustrations.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #101501 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780689831522
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
After years of dreaming of planting a garden, Mr. McGreely finally takes hoe and watering can in hand and makes his dream come true. Unfortunately for him (but luckily for readers), this is not the happily-ever-after part of the story. Late one night, three hungry bunnies appear: "Tippy-tippy-tippy, Pat! Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!" The next morning finds our farmer gnashing his teeth over the gnawed sprouts. So he builds a small wire fence. That night... "Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!" So Mr. McGreely builds a tall wooden wall. You get the idea. Young readers will hang on every word until they find out, once and for all, who will win the battle of the broccoli.

Packed with repetitive and onomatopoeic phrases, Candace Fleming's tale of man against nature will keep kids giggling--it may even inspire them to chomp on a few carrots themselves! G. Brian Karas's lively illustrations in gouache and pencil are full of visual wit, as the audacious "twitch-whiskers" patiently watch Mr. McGreely at his seemingly futile endeavors. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
This onomatopoeic romp opens calmly, with a hopeful gardener planting a vegetable patch behind his brownstone house. Bright green leaves sprout from the rich soil. " `Yum! Yum! Yummy!' said Mr. McGreeley. `I'll soon fill my tummy with crisp, fresh veggies.' " He doesn't notice a cottontail trio watching expectantly from the garden wall. "And the sun went down. And the moon came up. And / Tippy-tippy-tippy, Pat!/ Spring-hurdle,/ Dash! Dash! Dash!/ Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!" The brazen "twitch-whiskers" hop and dig their way to a fresh-picked salad, and Mr. McGreeley awakens to a row of gnawed stems. Karas (Saving Sweetness), who works in chalky gray pencil with brick-red, kale-green and creamy-yellow gouache, pictures the bunnies waiting patiently as the incensed Mr. McGreeley builds a wire fence, a moat and an enormous cinderblock tower with searchlights. Fleming (Gabriella's Song) demonstrates an ear for language as the suburban farmer battles his furry foes, night after night. The ritual culminates in the "gotcha" finale, in which the rabbits seem defeated, only to burst into view with a vigorous repeat of the title. Fleming and Karas demonstrate great comic timing in this high-spirited tale of one-upmanship. Ages 3-7.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-Mr. McGreely has always wanted a vegetable garden and when he finally plants one, he can't wait to taste his crisp, yummy produce. Apparently, three neighborhood rabbits are anticipating sampling the veggies as well, for "one night, when the sun went down and the moon came up," they appear. The next morning, the gardener awakens to find gnawed vegetables. In frustration, he begins to build a series of fences to keep the creatures away. Fleming has fun with language throughout the story, repeating the "Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!" refrain every time the thieves sneak past the ever-extended and elaborate barricades into the garden. Finally, after building a stone guard tower, Mr. McGreely is able to thwart the animals-or is he? The surprise ending will have youngsters giggling. Illustrations, rendered in gouache with acrylic and pencil and utilizing deep shades of brown and green, have an earthy feel to them. They exude warmth and lend personality to the plotting pests. Pair this with Janet Stevens's Tops and Bottoms (Harcourt, 1995) for a hilarious hop through the garden at storytime.

Lisa Gangemi Krapp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Who's Got the Veggies.....
"For years Mr. McGreely dreamed of planting a garden. He dreamed of getting his hands dirty, of growing yummy vegetables, and of gobbling them all up..." This was finally the year. He bought his supplies, and got to work preparing his garden and planting his seeds. "...I'll soon fill my tummy with crisp, fresh veggies." Unfortunately, he was not the only vegetable lover in the neighborhood. That night three hungry bunnies found Mr McGreely's garden and made themselves at home. "Tippy- Tippy- Tippy, Pat! Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!" The next morning, when Mr McGreely saw the damage, he was angry. So he built a nice wire fence around his garden to keep the bunnies out. But would this simple solution work..... Candace Fleming has written a wonderful chain of events story with a clever and surprising twist at the end, that's sure to keep little ones giggling with each page turn. Her delightful text, full of energy and marvelous sound effects, is enhanced by Brian Karas' bold, expressive, and humorous artwork. Youngsters will revel in all the fun as they watch the battle between gardener and bunnies escalate to the ridiculous, from simple, small wire fence, to taller wooden fence, to moat, and finally maximun security tower complete with barbed wire and lights. Perfect for kids 3-7, Muncha, Muncha, Muncha is a rip roarin', manic, crowd pleaser, and a picture book children will beg to read over and over again.

Kid's don't like veggies??
This is our sons' favorite book right now!! I read it to their pre-school class one day and had the kids act out the MUNCHA MUNCHA MUNCHA with me. We all loved it! It is an interesting tale with great illustrations. It's a great way to get kids excited about eating vegetables that they might not like to try otherwise. Highly recomended by our 6 year old, and our two four year olds. Awesome!

This is our favorite book
Both my 1 1/2 year old and 4 year old love this book. The love to yell "muncha, muncha, muncha" as the bunnies raid Mr. McGreeley's garden. We laugh as each method he tries becomes more elaborate. The easy words and repetition makes this fun for toddlers too.