Something to Tell the Grandcows

When Emmadine the cow learned that Admiral Richard E. Byrd was looking for a few good cows to take to the South Pole, she volunteered — boldly going where no cow had gone before.

Loosely based on a historical event, Eileen Spinelli's humorous tale of Emmadine's adventures will delight young readers, while Bill Slavin's bold acrylic illustrations bring this unique and heroic cow to life.

Eileen Spinelli’s love of books began at age five, during her first visit to the local public library. “I climbed up the steps to the children’s room on the second floor and into a wonderland! Books everywhere . . . I didn’t know which book to grab first,” she explains. “It made no difference to me that I couldn’t read.” After that, young Eileen visited the library every Saturday with her mother. After a few years of library visits, she knew she wanted to become a writer.

Eileen is the author of over thirty-five picture books and novels, including Something to Tell the Grandcows (Eerdmans) and When Mama Comes Home Tonight (Simon and Schuster). She and Mary Newell DePalma collaborated on the book Now It Is Winter (Eerdmans), which was named a Bank Street College Best Children’s Book. Eileen lives in Pennsylvania.

Bill Slavin has been writing and drawing since he was seven years old and has illustrated many books for children, including Gonzalo Grabs the Good Life and Something to Tell the Grandcows (both Eerdmans). He has received numerous awards, including the Blue Spruce Award and the CLC Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s medal, both for his book Stanley’s Party. Bill lives in Ontario.