One Old and One New on my "Favorites" List

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, by Doreen Cronin; Illustrated by Betsy Lewin; Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.

For the past two and a half years as I get the chance to visit elementary classrooms across Iowa, I've shared this old favorite, Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. For one, it is a quick read--so when I've only 10 to 15 minutes in a room...this is the book I share. Secondly...it really calls for the interaction of the youngsters!

Here is what the editors have to say about this delightful book (an old favorite of mine):

"Cows that type? Impossible!" That's what Farmer Brown thinks when he first hears the "click, clack" from the barn, but then he reads the note the cows write him. All they want is electric blankets for the cold barn. When he refuses, they go on strike. What's worse for the farmer is that the strike spreads to the cold hens as well. Duck finally negotiates a compromise. Unfortunately for Farmer Brown, the ducks have learned from all this, leaving us with a smile at the ending. This broadly humorous nonsense finds an appropriately bold, almost slapdash visual counterpart in Lewin's illustrations. Thick, brushed black lines define the characters and farm environment, while washes of color help emphasize gestures and evoke emotions, as when the red door symbolizes the farmer's rage. Great slapstick also suggests thoughts on animal rights.


My "new" favorite--but actually a book I've had for years (and recently rediscovered) is:

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, by Mem Fox and Illustrated by Julie Vivas.

I had a chance to share this with first graders this week and not only did their teacher love it, but the children loved it too! There is something to be said about the innocence of young children!

Here is what the editors of Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge have to say about the book:

Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge is a small boy who lives next to a home for old people, all of whom are his friends. His favorite is Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper, because she has four names too. Wilfred is worried when he hears his parents mention that Miss Nancy has lost her memory. He asks the old people what a memory is, and all of their answers inspire him to fill a basket with objects. When this small boy presents the basket to Miss Nancy, each object sparks a special memory from her childhood.