The Cow Who Clucked [Hardcover]

Denise Fleming (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Cow has lost her moo—can she find it again?

 

Having lost her moo, Cow is stuck clucking. The only thing to do is go out and find that moo! Join Cow and her friends as they conduct their vocal barnyard search. Cow tramps through a wheat field and on into the starry night until she is too tired to look any farther. But in the end, Cow and her moo are reunited, and all is well.

The simple repetition will have children chanting right along with Cow—“It is not you who has my moo!”

Using a van Gogh-inspired palette and art style, Caldecott Honor winner Denise Fleming has created a character who will appeal directly to a preschooler’s sense of humor.

 

The Cow Who Clucked is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 1–A cow wakes up to find that she has lost her moo and is clucking instead. She visits various creatures throughout the countryside, clucking at them and getting answers in their natural sounds. 'Cluck, cluck,' said Cow. 'Meow,' said Cat. 'It is not you who has my moo,' said Cow. And on she went. The repetitive refrain, It is not you who has my moo, has a sonorous charm and invites participation. Some readers will quickly realize that if Cow is clucking, she should go directly to Hen to find her moo. The Greek chorus of yellow chicks (who apparently follow Cow because she sounds like their mother) might be another wink to readers. When Cow at last finds Hen mooing, the two animals trade sounds and the chicks–silent up to this point–immediately find their own voice: peep. The gentle inside jokes, the animal sounds, and the repetitive phrase constitute only a fraction of this book's appeal. Fleming is, after all, a thrilling illustrator whose pulp-painting technique brings subtlety and texture to densely colored art. Here, she creates a countryside inspired by Van Gogh, and the net result is some of her most sensational artwork to date. The layers of subtle humor and visual splendor are truly impressive.–Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

When Cow awakens one morning to find herself making a "cluck" instead of a "moo," she begins a quest for her lost sound. She talks with Dog, Bee, Cat, Fish, Duck, Goat, Mouse, Snake, Squirrel, and Owl, but each animal makes its proper sound. Only when she returns to the barn and greets Hen with a "Cluck, cluck" does she hear the "Moo, moo" she has been missing. Their exchange of greetings makes the magical switch she has been longing for, and the happy Cow lets out a bellowing "Mooo." Fleming illustrates the story using her signature technique of pulp painting, in which the finished art is created as an integral part of the paper-making process. The large, deeply hued, double-page compositions feature the determined cow surrounded by a winning cast. Evidently inspired by Van Gogh's Starry Night, the endpapers add a distinctive beginning and ending to this pleasing picture book, which offers opportunities for children to chime in with farm animal sounds and to predict the story's outcome. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (August 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805072659
• ISBN-13: 978-0805072655
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #617,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Denise Fleming won a Caldecott Honor for In the Small, Small Pond. She is the author and illustrator of eighteen picture books, including Buster.

***INTERVIEW***
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in Toledo,Ohio, where I live still. I am a midwestern girl.

Q: What is your earliest memory of writing/drawing?
A: It seems like I was always writing and drawing. I wanted to share my ideas from the beginning. A bit bossy am I.

Q: What inspired you to write/illustrate your first book?
A: I started collecting picture books in art school. I was crazy about the whole picture book format. I realized, as I was sharing books with my daughter, that making books is what I needed to do.

Q: What are your hobbies and interests besides reading and books?
A: I work in clay, create art from tin cans, and make art dolls. Right now I am working on combining all three media. I also dye and paint fabric for the dolls.
Planting flowers and painting the outside of my house and studio is what I am busy doing right now.

Q: What one or two words of advice would you give for young authors/illustrators?
A: Experiment with different styles and media.

*From Macmillan's Denise Fleming page.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my daughter's favorites, February 14, 2010

By 

Kylee's Mom (DE) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cow Who Clucked (Hardcover)

This is one of the few books that has grown with my daughter. As an infant it was one of the few she enjoyed because of the great illustrations. At 2, she loved this book so much we bought a second copy. The first was paperback and didn't withstand her young enthusiasm. Though we've read it frequently for many months, it's still a staple.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Cow who Clucked, October 26, 2009

By 

Lisa A. Gardner - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cow Who Clucked (Hardcover)

I thought the book "The Cow who Clucked" was a very unoriginal book in which young children can learn from. Most childrens books that teach children about farm animals are original and just like the next one. Fleming does an amazing job at creating a very funny, but educational story line for the story. It teaches children the differnt barnyard animals and the sounds they make. The story starts out with a cow, who just woke up,and realizes she lost her moo...instead she clucked. The first thing cow says is, "The first thing I must do, is find my moo." So she goes searching throughout the barnyard for her moo. She runs into dog first. Fleming, then,introduces the line that is repeated all throughout the rest of the book,"It is not you who has my moo." This phrase that is continually repeated allows easy reading for early readers. Cow asks many other barnyard animals such as bee, cat, fish, duck, goat, mouse, snake, squirrel, and owl if they have her moo. Cow found out they all had their right sounds. Finally cow asks hen and finds out she has her moo!! Fleming's illustrations are also unique and add to the story.This is an extremely great book and will capture any child's attention.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great story..., July 26, 2007

By 

Dorothy (somewhere over the rainbow) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cow Who Clucked (Hardcover)

I liked the story book and my daughter does as well. I wished the illustrations were brighter instead of the drab colors, it made it harder for my daughter to stay interested. I liked how the cow goes from each animal to try and find her "moo", it's a cute story.