Shamoo: A Whale of a Cow

A cow who breaks away from the herd and learns to swim. She's in nirvana for the short term, but she soon gets lonely and decides her higher calling is to return home and teach what she has learned to the other cows. My son is glued to this book every time we pull it off the shelf, and I'm reminded that concepts like whether a cow can breathe underwater (and subtle Buddhist leitmotifs) are new to him. [...]

Since we have a farm, and cows, this little story was quite amusing. Now we have to watch our cows constantly, as we have a large creek flowing through our lower fields. Don't want any of 'em to get to the ocean!

We met Ross Hill two years ago at an art festival in the Texas Hill Country. At the time, we were entranced by his whimsical but sophisticated animal illustrations which visually tested the minds eye. Ross's new book, "Shamoo", has a title, and cover illustration, which is an obvious play on words. Inside the there is much more. It is a gentle story of dreams and reality visually portrayed in a series of improbable but infinitely believable illustrations which resonate with the child in all of us, no matter our age. People who have read or been read the classic children's story "The Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings" will see parallels with Shamoo. For, each animal dreams to be something else and achieves it. However, Shamoo is the more uplifting story. Ross's book will show your children or maybe your grandchildren that cows (and maybe they) can wish and achieve; that it is not inconceivable to wish to swim with the whales;that wishes can come true with delightful consequences. Enjoy this soon to be classic children's book produced by a gifted illustrator.

Ros Hill's Shamoo has lovely illustrations that will charm both children and adults. The story, about a cow who longs for something different (the sea) is told with wit and humor. And if that ending doesn't make you smile... well, you WILL smile! Although it is a children's book, I'd recommend getting it for anyone who has ever yearned for something more, something big.