The Day the Cow Sneezed [Hardcover]

James Flora (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1957

"I bet your cow never sneezed a hole in the schoolhouse wall. Our cow did!" Thus begins is one of the funniest, fastest-paced, tallest-tale stories ever told! The fun mounts as absurdity cascades on absurdity, until at the very end one small boy learns that a "teeny-weeny error can grow into a whopping big mistake almost before you can say Ka-Chow!"

With brilliantly colored, bold and original pictures and a sure use of words that sweep the reader along, James Flora has created a hilariously wise picture book that will bring delighted laughter to the young of any age!

James ("Jim") Flora worked as a commercial artist from the 1940s through the 1980s. He enjoyed a lengthy career, was a lifelong fan of jazz and classical music, and was renowned for creating wild illustrations for Columbia and RCA Victor records in the 1940s and '50s. He also created seventeen books for young readers. The Day the Cow Sneezed, his second book, was first published in 1957. Despite long-standing interest, this is the first time the book has been reprinted. Flora was born in the small town of Bellefontaine, Ohio, in 1914. He attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati, where he met his future wife, artist Jane Sinnicksen. The Floras moved to Connecticut in 1942 when Jim accepted a job at Columbia Records. Flora and Jane went on to have five children. It was after their first child was born that Flora started to create children's books. Flora passed away at his home in Rowayton, Connecticut, in 1998.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For the opposite of earnest uplift, consider the lively and zany illustrations in James Flora's reissued 1957 tall tale." - The Wall Street Journal

"Kids will be swept away by the madcap hullabaloo." - Elizabeth Bird, Time Out New York Kids

"Straight-up pandemonium is what occurs in this story. Madcap zaniness abounds." - Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

James Flora: James ("Jim") Flora was a famous commercial artist from the 1940s through the 1980s. He wrote and illustrated 17 books for young readers, starting with The Fabulous Firework Family in 1955. The Day the Cow Sneezed, his second book, was published in 1957. This is the first time the book has been reprinted.

Flora was born in the small town of Bellefontaine, Ohio, in 1914. "At that time," he recalled, "there were no televisions, radios, dishwashers, or jet planes. There were a lot of horses but very few automobiles." He attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati, where he met his future wife, artist Jane Sinnicksen. The Floras moved to Connecticut in 1942 when Jim accepted a job in the art department of Columbia Records.

Flora and Jane had five children. "Jane and I loved children," said Flora, "and together we welcomed each of them with cheers for the bright new life we had created. What we had really done, however, was to create an efficient new testing panel for my stories. Most nights when I put the children to bed I would make up stories for them. Whatever would pop into my mind became the basis for a bedtime tale. I would always know that I had the ingredients of a book when my children would ask me to repeat a story."

Flora enjoyed a lengthy career as a commercial illustrator for magazines, newspapers, advertising, and books. He was a lifelong fan of jazz and classical music and was renowned for creating wild illustrations for Columbia and RCA Victor records in the 1940s and '50s. He also created hundreds of fine art paintings, sketches, and woodcuts.

Flora passed away at his home in Rowayton, Connecticut, in 1998.

Information about Flora's life and artistic work can be found at JimFlora.com.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 38 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt, Brace; 1st edition (1957)
• ASIN: B0007DO3GM
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,566,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from [...], October 5, 2010

By 

www.firrkids.com - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Day the Cow Sneezed (Hardcover)

Originally written and illustrated in 1957, this book had officially been tagged "hard to find" by Flora lovers. Thanks to a fresh reprinting by Enchanted Lion, more of us can be introduced to this great author and illustrator, who we otherwise may have missed out on.

Fletcher's morning routine includes taking his cow, Floss, down to the creek for a drink of water. Distracted by a bunny rabbit one cool day, Fletcher runs off, leaving Floss to stand knee deep in that chilly creek water. Shaking and shivering, she lets out a powerful sneeze: KA-CHOW. That sneeze sets off a series of unfortunate events that results in an impromptu fireworks show and the release of an entire zoo. That's quite a sneeze!

Of course, there are many steps in between the cow sneeze and the big fireworks show. There happens to be a billy goat driving a policeman's motorcyle with a cat on his back, a huge hole in the side of the schoolhouse wall and a flattened out fire truck. Not enough? Throw in some angry townspeople and see how zoo animals fare after tangling with a steamroller. Now that's a story!

James Flora's illustrations are just genius. Half the pages in the book are black and white, while the other half shout with vibrant pinks and blues. James Flora is very well known for his illustrations but they are not the only wonderful thing on these pages. I like his habit of calling attention to certain words by putting them in all caps, nearly on every page: POW! WHAMBO! and my personal favorite KA-BLOWIE-BLAM! I also enjoy the language he uses, specific phrases such as "scrunched as flat as corn flakes." It's just plain good reading paired with some spellbinding illustrations that make this a book you won't want to miss.

Publisher Claudia Zoe Bedrick is a Floraphile, and depending on the success of this reprint, Enchanted Lion will continue to republish two Flora titles a year. The dedication on the inside cover of this one reads "For Caroline Flora: An early-mooing non-sneezer." Based on this book, I think I could easily become a Floraphile myself.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great illustrations, questionable conclusion, January 6, 2011

By 

rama (CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Day the Cow Sneezed (Hardcover)

The art is worth it alone, both to me and my 3 year old. My only gripe is the books conclusion, which shows an angry father leading the scared boy by his ear, presumably for more physical punishment.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic ideal for generations to share together, still fresh for children ages 4 and up, November 20, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Day the Cow Sneezed (Hardcover)

"The Day the Cow Sneezed" is a reissued children's classic illustrated tall tale/fable. Originally published by Margaret McElderry in 1957 "The Day the Cow Sneezed" is a rollicking humorous tale with a moral or two, filled with flip, cool, cutting edge vintage illustrations that will put all adult readers in a slightly jazzy mood, maybe children readers too. One of the possible reasons for this is the style of illustration, full of ridiculous angles, exaggerations, spoofs, jagged edges and visible "riffs," but another possible reason is the illustrator, who was a devoted fan of jazz and classical music, sustained a long, successful career as an illustrator for Columbia and RCA Victor records in the 1940's and 50's. The art of James Flora is truly a pleasure to behold whether the eyes of the beholder are young or old. The story moves through more and more layers of ridiculous outcomes and runny reaction at breakneck speed, but all outcomes can be traced to a simple act of negligence on the part of "my brother" Fletcher, the real hero of the piece. There are a number of hints and clues that "The Day the Cow Sneezed" was written at least a generation ago, but none of these "dating" clues detracts from the solid, imaginative impact of the book. Perhaps today's children will benefit from the experience of a bit of old fashioned unpredictability, in a more rural time, in a simpler era. Certainly they will be entertained, and they may also get a flavor of the childhoods of their grandparents. "The Day the Cow Sneezed" is a classic ideal for generations to share together, still fresh for children ages 4 and up.