Mrs. Brown Went to Town

by Wong Herbert Yee

Discovering the house to be much more comfortable than their barn, Mrs. Brown's farm animals move into her home, wreak havoc, and leave her a few surprises for her return home from the hospital.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been tired before. I have been so tired, I have fallen asleep in strange places and odd positions. But I have never been so tired that I could crawl into my bed without noticing that a cow, two pigs, three ducks, and a yak were crashed there after spending the day in my house. I can only assume that Mrs. Brown was still heavily medicated when she was released from the hospital on the day this story begins. I'm a little concerned about the quality of healthcare she receives in this town.

That said, this book is a riot. The farm animals vote to move into Mrs. Brown's house - all but the mouse, who doesn't want any part of this terrible idea. My son was both appalled and delighted by what the animals get up to unsupervised.

Yee is one of our favorite authors of children's picture books. I particularly love how skilled he is with language. He never forces a rhyme, and he's willing to let things almost-rhyme when it suits the story. That's appreciated by this mom who's read too many contorted verses in her nine-year parenting career.

[Adele Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mrs. Brown Went to Town tells the story of a woman named Mrs. Brown and the animals on her barn: a cow, two pigs, three ducks, and a yak. One day, Mrs. Brown leaves the barn, rides her bike down the street and is attacked by a terrier which leads her to stay at the hospital for a couple of days to recover. The animals receive notice that Mrs. Brown is going to be out of the barn for a couple of days and are told to maintain "good behavior" while she recovers. Instead, the animals decide move into Mrs. Brown's house, break the rules, and have a lot of fun: they try on her dresses, jump on her bed, paint the house red, eat all of her food, and put on her make-up. At the end of the night, the animals decide to sleep in her bed upstairs. Later that night, Mrs. Brown returns home and falls asleep without noticing the other animals are in her company. With the extra weight of all the animals and Mrs. Brown, the bed breaks the floor, sending everyone flying through the ceiling. The animals and Mrs. Brown are all injured and are sent to the hospital. Eventually, the characters return to the barn and can be seen on the last page in casts, inside Mrs. Brown's home, recovering.

I found the theme being that it is important to maintain good behavior despite lack of authority. This is revealed in the story through the animals decision to behave poorly when Mrs. Brown leaves the barn. Their poor decision leads the animals to big trouble and several injuries.

I did not feel a significant connection to this book while reading. I simply enjoyed it and saw it solemnly as "just a good read." I could not relate to this story on a personal level.

Overall, this was a fun read! I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick, easy, and light-hearted story. It was silly and simple. I would definitely read this book to a class of a younger age range -- I think it would produce some laughs! I also thought this book provides some questions a younger audience would have fun responding to, such as: "What would you do if you were one of the animals? How do you think Mrs. Brown feels about the animals decision?" A younger audience would truly enjoy this book, and therefore, would recommend it.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copyrighted in 1996 this is a rhyming rollicking story about Mrs. Brown and her farm animals who inhabit her house when she is away. In typical rowdiness the animals flush the toilet, put on makeup, sleep in Mrs. Brown’s bed, and more. Plenty of laughs in the illustrations.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story to read to my class! They love the crazy rhymes and mischief of the farm animals. So cute!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is a wonderful example of a fantasy story for young children. It is very humorous and has great illustrations that add to the humor. The author focuses on the kind of antics that children may find amusing and it has a skillful rhyming text to it which the students would enjoy immensely. One of the main characters, Mrs. Brown, goes to the hospital after an accident and her farm animals decide to move into her house. They do all sorts of crazy things and wreak havoc inside the house! I would highly recommend using this book with a fantasy reading unit.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully fun rhyming adventure. Great for the younger set, but still fun to read for the grown-ups. Has some surprising twists as well! Not too short, not too long. I really liked it and will look for a copy for our family bookshelves.

[Andrea Thomas, Greenville · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fun for students to read and listen to. This book has rhyming text and a silly theme. It would be a good story to focus on the reading comprehension skill, story structure. This story also requires the reader to make preditions throughout the text.

[jenna Hudrlik · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fun rhyming book with animals in it

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is ridiculous. I like it. Cute pictures and silly scenarios.