Parents' Guide to

The Cow Who Clucked

By Patricia Tauzer, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 2+

Kids will find this colorful story a-moo-sing.

Book Denise Fleming Picture Book 2006
The Cow Who Clucked Poster Image

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What's the Story?

When Cow wakes up one morning, she finds she has lost her moo. She spends the day looking for it amongst the other animals in the surrounding fields.

\ \ As the clucking cow approaches each different animal, her question is the same but the response varies: \"Glub, glub,\" says the fish, \"Quack, quack,\" says the duck, and so on.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Young kids especially will love the silliness of this book, which has a very narrow plot but a kind of repetitive language reminiscent of Old McDonald and his farm. Younger kids will enjoy mimicking the animal sounds and will laugh at the idea of a cow that clucks. Older kids might question how the cow lost its moo or how she got it back, which is not explained. All readers, kids and adults alike, will love the illustrations.

Beginning with the inside cover that's painted in the mode of Van Gogh's "The Starry Night," the pages are filled with color. Influenced by pulp painting and paper-making techniques, unique textures blend with stenciled outlines to produce captivating artwork that makes this book remarkable. Subtleties hidden in the background will emerge. Even when families tire of the story, they'll be drawn back to this book by its artistry.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the sounds different animals make and what would happen if cows started clucking or hens started mooing, etc. They might also wonder where the cow's moo could have gone. How did the cow get it back? They can identify different colors in the pictures; they could compare the illustrations here to the art of Van Gogh, especially "The Starry Night."

Book Details

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