Kiss the Cow!

Both my girls, ages 3 and 17 months, LOVE this book. It is a sweet, happy message about showing someone, in this case a gentle cow named Luella, how much you appreciate them. The song inside is one my littlest one has just started to sing all by herself. I think this book is a must for every parent of little ones!

"Kiss the Cow" has become a favorite of my 2-year-old after a recent visit to my parent's house in VA. While there, we saw cows "up close and personal", although we did not kiss any! In this book, Annalisa is one of Mama May's many children; the most curious and most stubborn. After disobeying her mother, Annalisa milks Luella, the "magic" cow. She does not kiss her afterward, however, as is required to ensure future milk production. What happens next is a lesson in learning the consequences of your actions, without being preachy. Luella will not give milk again until Annalisa kisses her, which eventually happens after much cajoling by the children and Mama May. Phyllis Root's book "What Baby Wants" is cute, too.

"Mama May lived where the earth met the sky, and her house was as wide as the prairie. It needed to be. Mama May had so many children she couldn't count them all. Among Mama May's children was one called Annalisa. She wasn't the youngest, and she wasn't the oldest, but she was the most curious and the most stubborn..." Every morning Annalisa watched as Mama May milked their cow, Luella. First she sang her magic greeting song, and Luella gave Mama all the milk she needed for her many, many children. Then she sang her thank you song, and last, but not least, she gave Luella a kiss "right on the end of her velvety, brown nose." "Ughhh!" said Annalisa. "Imagine kissing a cow!" Annalisa watch the milking day in and day out, and wondered what it would be like. Finally she just had to find out for herself. She took her pail from the sandbox and ran down to the pasture. First she sang the greeting song, and Luella filled her pail with warm, sweet milk. Then she sang the thank you song. But when it was time to kiss the cow, Annalisa absolutely would not. The next day, when Mama May came to milk the cow, Luella was dry. No matter how much she sang and kissed, there was no milk for Mama May's children..... Phyllis Root's warm and engaging text is filled with wit and energy, and begs to be read aloud and shared. Will Hillenbrand's bright, expressive, and entertaining illustrations are filled with humor and playful, eye-catching detail. Together, word and art offer a preschool crowd-please that's sure to charm both young and old alike. With its happily-ever-after ending to set everything right once again, Kiss The Cow is a winner!

This is a delightful new addition to my children's library. The illustrations are wonderfully fresh. The language is not too lengthy or involved, yet contains some wonderful descriptive references. For example, unless you are familiar with a dairy, you probably don't know that fresh cheese squeeks between your teeth. This is a book my two toddlers want to see again and again, and I can hardly wait to share it with my kindergarten class.

This is a delightful new children's book. The illustrations are wonderfully fresh. The text is not too difficult or lengthy for young readers to understand, yet contains some very descriptive material. Only those who've been in dairy land would know that cheese squeeks in your teeth when it's very fresh. My two children adore this book and wish to have it read again and again. I can hardly wait to share it with my kindergarten class.