Customer Reviews

George Washington's Cows

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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This is a children's story of the baffling livestock George Washington has at Mount Vernon--erudite sheep, mannered pigs, difficult to please cows. It is the kind of story bright children like--creatures of the run-of-the-mill books about farm life here doing outrageous things.

It is a book which one of our grandchildren must have taken to pre-school to show off. We can no longer find it; I have to buy it again; I decided to write this review because the book is good enough to motivate children to share their books, and grandfathers to buy them again.

David Small is a wonderfully imaginative author. *Fenwick's Suit*, *Imogene's Antlers*, and *Paper John* by Small are also terrific children's books, but this one is just hilarious. My four-year-old daughter nearly fell off my lap laughing at the pictures of the pigs in their powdered wigs, and my eight-year-old son appreciated the wry humor. Few children's books are illustrated as beautifully as this one, and the rhyme and rhythm are delightful. A picture book not to be missed.

Have you ever wondered why George Washington left Mount Vernon and became the father of our country? Award winning author and illustrator, David Small, let's you in on that little well-kept secret. It all started with his cows. They wouldn't give milk unless they could live upstairs in their own room with silk bedding, dress in lavender gowns, eat scones and jam and wear perfume. Then there were the hogs. They thought they were maids and butlers, doing chores, filling in for sick servants and serving meals. And, when it came to genius, Washington's flock of sheep were unrivaled. It all became to much for him, so he gave up the farm, crossed the Delaware and went into politics. Told with creativity and great humor, Mr Small's wonderful rhyming text is complimented by his detailed, expressive watercolor artwork and youngsters will laugh out loud as they see cows, lazing about in bed, pigs in wigs serving dinner and sheep in caps and gowns teaching lessons to Washington's guests. This is a delightful, silly, witty picture book that can be enjoyed by children of all ages and makes a wonderful addition to all home libraries.

Well, if you have a young reader who is looking for a book about the Father of Our Country that is out of the ordinary, tell them to look no farther than "George Washington's Cows." By the end of this collection of humorous rhymes about the rather strange animals at George Washington's Mount Vernon farm the future President is standing with his head in hand, sighing, and complaining "My cows wear dresses, my pigs wear wigs, and my sheep are more learned than me." At least the pigs help out around the house, which is more than can be said for those smart sheep. David Small must have a little Jonathan Swift in him, for this is not exactly a reverential portrait of George Washington, who might have been first in war and first in peace but who takes a back seat to the animals in this cute little volume (I like the wicked little smiles on the pigs the best). However, I think parents will appreciate the book's final punch line a lot more than the young readers for who this work is intended.

I wrote a review of this book several years ago when my Amazon ID was befruitful (see below) and I just re-purchased a hardcover after being without one for many years and waiting quite a while for a reprint. When the hardcover was finally reissued, I ponied up $25 for it, thinking that I'd have this treasure on hand to crack up my grandchildren. Cows in purple gowns! Pigs in powdered wigs! and the father of our country crying in his tea because his animals are totally out of control. The baby who was too young to appreciate this book when I wrote my review is in kindergarten, and the three year old recently saw this book for the very first time and giggled all the way through. You know a book is priceless when you scour the whole house looking for it to read to the baby and find it under your preteen's pillow. Yes, it has a few big words like "obsequious" and you have to pronounce "learned" LER-NED, with the accent on the second syllable, but that's all part of the attraction. Small is one of THE preeminent children's book illustrators. He and Sarah Stewart are one of the Power Couples of Children's Literature that all children should become aquainted with, along with Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson and Arnold and Anita Lobel.

My four-year-old was confused by this book. While he has a great sense of humor, and lots of imagination, he doesn't know yet who George Washington is, and he didn't understand words like learn-ed or swine, genteel, or amiable. He's got lots of time to learn those words, but not right now.

This is a book for grown-ups, not kids. Buy it for your mother.