* [A] small treasure from master storyteller dePaola. . . . Before long he's assembled a riotous, Bremen Town Musician-like group of animals who moo, bah, oink, and whoo all the way to the city. Their cries, carved on rubber stamps, are scattered on the pages, creating the visual equivalent of a cheerful din. . . . As a bonus, many spreads hide scenes from familiar nursery rhymes, adding to the book's readaloud charm. - Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
DePaola's trademark illustrations are warmly inviting and feature many nursery-rhyme characters in the backgrounds. . . . Preschoolers will root for the plucky hero as he pursues his dreams and eagerly chime in with the pleasing repetitive phrases. - School Library Journal
A new tale from dePaola is always a reason to cheer, and this riff on Jack tale variants will bring smiles. . . . Repeated rubber stamps of each animal's sound (and individualized colors) add zip (and noise) to dePaola's signature style and palette. . . . Everyone will enjoy the fun. - Kirkus Reviews
Clever riff on a traditional story motif. . . . dePaola embellishes his story with rich visual detail, including vividly colored printed sound effects . . . which afford a visual representation of the burgeoning cacophony. . . . There is an added depth to dePaola's recognizable style, with a combination of subtly varied textures and brilliant color . . . giving the outing a traditional grounding and a contemporary flair. There goes the neighborhood, and it never looked better. - Booklist
Young children will like the simple pattern of the story as well as the cumulating sound effects. . . . DePaola dresses the journey in his most sumptuous colors. . . . Storytime audiences will enjoy the trip as well as the sly cameo appearances by nursery-rhyme favorites. - The Horn Book
