As night falls on the farm a sweet song can be heard wafting through the air. A mother is singing a lullaby to her young ones, sending them into a dreamy sleep. But it isn't the farmer's wife singing to her baby - it's a mother hen, then a sheep, then a cow, then a pig!
The farmer can't understand what each mother is crooning to her baby; to him it's just a lot of racket that keeps him awake. It is only when his cries of frustration wake up his wife and baby that he is able to appreciate the song - one that is sung by his own wife to put their baby back to sleep. To the animals in the barnyard it's just a lot of noise, but to him it is a beautiful lullaby.
Children will be soothed by the song that runs through this book and changes to suit each animal while their parents smile at the farmer's increasing exasperation.