Two Cool Cows

Stealing the black button-back boots from the children at their farm, cool cows Millie and Maude begin a midnight adventure of moon jumping and partying with the other cool cows. By the author of Hattie Baked a Wedding Cake.

PreSchool-Grade 3?Speed offers a lively twist on a familiar nursery rhyme. Seeking greener pastures and bovine camaraderie, two cows from the Huckabuck Farm don the four Huckabuck kids' new black boots and leap to the moon. At its best, the text sways and swings with the excitement of the animals' summer-night frolics. Unfortunately, the rhythm flags at points and sinks to the ordinary. The double-page paintings, however, never let readers down. The cool cows with their sunglasses and button-back boots jump and prance, run and dance, and never lose an ounce of energy. Practice reading this aloud to maximize the rhythm, and you'll be able to give young listeners a whole new perspective on the expeditions of cows that jump over (or to) the moon.?Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, MN
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Those wanting to know why the cow jumped over the moon will find some tweakingly twisted answers in this nonsensical story. "Two cool, too cool" cows from the Huckabuck farm are looking for fresh grass, and they jump to the moon to find it. The moon is cool, too-with cows aplenty beating bongo drums and doing the bunny hop. But the two cool cows are wearing new "black button-back boots" belonging to the four Huckabuck kids, who call them home for milking time. The kids are pleased: Kate plays the fiddle, little Doug laughs and Daisy runs off with Spoon. Speed (Hattie Baked a Wedding Cake) gleefully and rhythmically subverts the nursery classic. And Root (Those Bottles!; Wan Hu Is in the Stars, reviewed below) plays along zestily, coloring the Huckabuck farm with quiet, pastel tints and the moon with rich, jazzy tones-some of which "return" with the cows. A rewarding romp. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 4^-7. For all those who ever wondered why the cow jumped over the moon, here's the answer in a fresh and funny picture book that soars through the sky on the strength of Speed's explosive (mostly) rhyming text. Millie and Maude are two cool cows from Huckabuck farm, heading to the mountaintop, the best jumping off spot for the moon. Wearing black button-back boots purloined from the Huckabuck kids (who are following them apace), M and M hit the moon and its tasty meadow, where there are "cows in the craters, / cows and their cousins, / cows on vacation, dozens and dozens." The fun's not just in the meadow munching, but also in activities, like doing the Bunny Hop with bovine buddies. Meanwhile, back home, the Huckabuck kids are railing at the moon, still waiting for those shoes. This tale needs some pretty dynamic art, and Root comes through with motion-filled spreads featuring two black-and-white, shades-wearing cows. He catches all the humor, too; each out-of-this-world picture is a smile provoker. (See the Booklist cover, May 1, 1995.) Fun to read aloud, but watch out--little ones just might feel the urge to do some jumping over the moon themselves. Ilene Cooper