Inspiring Young Readers

posted on 06 Nov 2025

Old MacDonald on the Move by Philip Ardagh, illustrated by Maria Karipidou

If you’re a parent, carer or teacher of young children, you’ll almost certainly be familiar with that perennial favourite for reading out aloud and joining-in, Old MacDonald’s Farm. You may also be groaning a little and thinking that the last thing you need is yet another version – but, trust me, this is a very different take on the old chestnut.

Philip Ardagh can always be relied on to put a wicked twist on any tale and here he teams-up with artist-illustrator Maria Karipidou to put a very different spin on the nursery song. In this version old MacDonald now has a farm that’s as time-worn as he is:

“Old MacDonald had a farm

he loved with all his heart.

Like MacDonald, it got old

and began to fall apart.”

And the ruination of the farm causes the old farmer no-end of problems. First the cows in the barn are being rained on through the big holes in the roof. What can he do when buckets and umbrellas aren’t enough?

Well, how about booking them into a grand hotel? 

And what’s going to happen to the pig sty when the pigs are sinking into the muck and mud?

Yes, you’ve got it – book them into the same hotel.

Then the chickens and then the sheep – all booked into the hotel.

Finally, old MacDonald accepts the inevitable, packs his bags, gathers his dog, erects a ‘for sale’ notice and heads off to the hotel himself.

There can only be one logical outcome:

“but he bought the grand hotel.

The only guests are animals

and life is mighty swell!”

There are, of course, plenty of chances to join in with the E-I-E-I-Os and to make the various animal noises – so it’s very much a sharing kind of book.

I love the fact that this is a big, generously-sized book where the bold and colourful illustrations have been given plenty of space to pack lots of detail into each of the double-spread pages.

Published by Walker Books, you will be able to get a copy from your local independent bookshop – who will be happy to order it for you if they don’t have it on their shelves.

 

Terry Potter

November 2025