Shirisha Mudunuri (Children's Literature)
Orvie the pig is the farmer on the No-Man Farm in Wellingdon. The other animals find it unfair that Orvie, who gets to make all the rules, feels that animals with four legs are bad and that only animals with two legs are worthy of being farmer. Duck aspires to be a better farmer than Orvie. To prove that he is worthy, Duck drains the pond one night while everyone is asleep. The next day, the entire No-Man Farm is enraged with Duck, and all of the animals begin running after him in a herd. Orvie gets stuck in the mud while chasing after Duck. Using a total of 18 legs, Duck and all of the other animals come together and rescue Orvie, proving his theory incorrect. The artistic depiction of the animals on this picture book portrays them with great feeling, emotion, and human-like qualities. The colorful pictures add life to the story, and it becomes apparent that this is a book intended for children and an adaptation of Animal Farm by George Orwell. 2007, Houghton Mifflin Company, $16.00. Ages 4 to 8.

Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Farmer Orvie, a pig in overalls, boots and a hat, leans back in a chair against a barn labeled “No Man Farm” with the slogan “4 legs bad/2 legs good” written on the side. The other animals on the farm work tirelessly planting and maintaining the crops as they also strive to keep Farmer Orvie comfortable by bringing him slops, scratching his ears and polishing his boots. The animals are not happy, and one day, Duck decides to challenge Orvie’s rule. He walks on two legs and he figures it is his turn to wear the boots and be in charge. Orvie, of course, resists but Duck is persistent. When his arguments do not convince Orvie, Duck pulls the plug on the pond. Orvie leaves his chair to chase Duck who leads him through the mud of the emptied pond causing him to become stuck. Duck comes to the rescue with a rope and all the animals help pull Orvie out, leaving the boots behind. The animals cheer as they agree that “18 legs best.” Duck dons some boots and repaints the slogan on the barn. With Duck in charge, life is good. The audience for this book is not clear. The jacket blurb explains that the story is based on George Orwell’s Animal Farm and those who are familiar with that book will note many connections. Most picture book readers are not part of that group, however, and the book may not make sense to them. The illustrations are bright and colorful, holding some appeal for young children, but the book may better be used with high school and college students. 2007, Houghton Mifflin Company, $16.00. Ages 15 to 18.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 15))
A clever duck teaches a lazy, autocratic pig a memorable lesson in barnyard egalitarianism. Dressed the part in his bib overalls and boots, Farmer Orvie lazes all day in his chair leaning against the barn while the other animals do all the work. A real swine, Orvie justifies his despotic management style by painting his arbitrary "4 legs bad, 2 legs good" rule on the barn and ordering the animals to wait on him since he can't move while "holding up the barn." Soon, two-legged Duck demands to know why he can't be the farmer. When Orvie claims he's the farmer because he does "big" work like balancing his chair on two legs, Duck decides he, too, can do "big" work. During a nocturnal engineering feat, Duck drains the pond, igniting a classic chase culminating in Farmer Orvie stuck two-legs deep in the mud. In the lighthearted finale, Orvie's totalitarian reign topples and Duck wears the boots. Slightly cubist, cartoon-like illustrations in mixed media capture the lighthearted politics of this comic animal farm. 2007, Houghton Mifflin, 32p, $16.00. Category: Picture book. Ages 4 to 6. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ruth Gavin (Kutztown University Book Review, Spring 2009)
Farmer Pig runs the farm and has all the other animals serving him. But Duck wonders why he can't run the farm. As the animals complain about Pig's autocratic ways, Duck decides he can do something big, and he does. Duck's peaceful protest changes life on the farm forever. This is a fun story with bright, engaging illustrations that are sometimes reminiscent of a graphic novel. It can stand alone as a story, but it also serves as a follow up to George Orwell's Animal Farm. References to that novel are sprinkled throughout the illustrations. Four Legs Bad, Two Legs Good! Would be a fun read, but could also be used to work on comparison: compare it with other stories about mischief-making ducks, such as Duck at the Door or Click, Clack, Moo. Category: Picture Book. 2007, Houghton Mifflin, $16.00. Ages 6 to 11.

Brenda Dales (Library Media Connection, January 2008)
If the cover illustration of animals on a farm and the title don't provide enough clues to the story, then the quotation from George Orwell on the back cover will leave no doubt for adults familiar with the classic tale. The first illustration in the book shows a tumble-down farm, "The Manor Farm"-actually, some words painted on the barn have been altered, so make that "No Man Farm." Farmer Orvie, a pig, spends his time resting on a chair and leaning back on the barn, while three other animals and a duck do the work. Duck wants to be the farmer, but Orvie claims Duck is too little. Duck pulls the plug in the pond, draining all the water. Farmer Orvie gets stuck in the mud, and the animals all help to pull him out. They discover that 18 legs are best! While the allusions to Animal Farm will be lost on young readers, this is an adequate prelude and admirable story in itself, prompting questions of equality and cooperation. Some illustrations are divided into panes, adding movement. Dialogue balloons also contribute to a graphic novel-like style. Recommended. 2007, Houghton Mifflin, 32pp., $16 hc. Ages 5 to 9.

Karen Coats (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, December 2007 (Vol. 61, No. 4).)
In this elaboration on George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Farmer Orvie, an anthropomorphic pig, does nothing but prop up a ramshackle barn wall while the other animals do the plowing, planting, and hauling. And even that’s not enough for him—he insists that the animals take on more tasks, such as swatting the flies on his nose and scratching his ears. The mostly docile animals comply because they have accepted Orvie’s rule, “Four Legs Bad, Two Legs Good,” and have taken Orvie’s boots as a sign that he is a two-legger. Duck, as a genuine two-legger, demands her turn to be the farmer, but Orvie pooh-poohs her until she drains the pond, causing general mayhem; all of the animals must then work together to heft Orvie out of the mucky pond bottom, where he is stuck by his rubber boots. Johnson here seems to have forgotten a cardinal rule of successful allusive stories: they must make sense on their own, without overt reference to their source material. Absent an adequate explanation or a prior knowledge of the original to illuminate why Orvie, a four-legged creature, insists on the superiority of two-legged creatures and why the other animals accept this, the conflict is as muddy as the bland and repetitive digital art. The actions of Duck are likewise unaccountable, and the final resolution, where the animals work together and celebrate the triumph of eighteen legs (and two wings), comes off as trite and contrived, rather than boldly revolutionary. If very young children must be introduced to an Orwellian vision of society, they would be better off with—but wait, must they? Review Code: M -- Marginal book that is so slight in content or has so many weaknesses in style or format that it should be given careful consideration before purchase. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2007, Houghton, 32p., $16.00. Ages 5-7 yrs.