On Amazon, Pam Kapchinske's Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain Tale is described as being a light-hearted romp through an ecosystem (discovering food chains, which animals are predators, which animals are prey). Although the poetic, song-like text is, indeed, rhythmic, rollicking and engaging (as well as being quite informative) and would more than likely be a hit with many youngsters, personally I find the concept, the very idea of a happy-go-lucky "song" about the deadly serious relationship and interplay between predator and prey a bit troubling and problematic. Food chains, food webs, the fact that some animals are the hunters and others the hunted are an important, an essential aspect of life on earth, but in my opinion, this fact is neither light-hearted nor inherently joyful.

That being said, I would still recommend Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain Tale for use with/by young children interested in ecology (even just for the simply excellent and engaging supplemental activities listed at the back, which are a real teaching and learning treasure trove). I would, however, especially if I were reading this book with or to slightly older children, also want to mention that the interaction between and among predator and prey in a given ecosystem is generally and basically a matter of life and death (and not some joyful, playful song about who/what is on top, and who/what ends up as a meal).

With regard to Sherry Rogers' accompanying illustrations, they are lively, bright and descriptive (providing a for the most part successful and engaging complement to the text). Parents, caregivers, librarians etc. should note, though, that the illustration of the snake is rather in-your-face and could perhaps be frightening and/or uncanny for very sensitive children (particularly its head seems almost larger than life, a beady-eyed behemoth just waiting to pounce on, to devour its unsuspecting prey). ( )

Do you know what a “food chain” is? No, it’s not a ring of fruits or vegetables that you put around your neck to munch on. This book doesn’t so much define a food chain as it simply illustrates different food chains within a single ecosystem, thus introducing children to the concept of the food web. A shiny green beetle is eaten by a slithering snake which in turn is eaten by a hawk. A frog is eaten by a bass. A plump leaf-eating caterpillar is eaten by a lizard. What animal do you think is at the top of this last food chain and eats the lizard?
Author Pam Kapchinske light-hearted romp through these food chains is so much fun that kids won’t know that they’re actually learning. Even though the fact that some animals eat other animals is part of the food web and must be understood, sensitive children will appreciate the fact that Sherry Rogers’s colorful illustrations don’t show any of the animals actually chomping down on their prey. The four pages of “For Creative Minds” educational section has information about the differences between herbivores and carnivores and between predators and prey, a true-false food chains quiz, questions about animal classification, and an animal adaptations matching activity. Parents and teachers can find more free resources at the publisher’s website. Youngsters will be singing “Hey Diddle Diddle” while finding out which creatures come out on top and which end up as snacks. ( )