The Cow Who Clucked by Denise Fleming, Denise Fleming (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

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.

Publishers Weekly

Fleming's (Barnyard Banter) signature cotton fiber illustrations are as sumptuous as ever in this tale of a farmyard mix-up. For reasons not revealed, Cow wakes up "to find she had lost her moo." But who has her moo? None of the usual suspects pans out-although Cow's quest gives readers the opportunity to make a number of crowd-pleasing sounds, plus Cow's catchy refrain: "It is not you who has my moo." Not until the end of a disappointing day does Cow discover that one of the chickens sounds distinctly unchicken-y. "Hen!" Cow shouts. "It is you who has my moo!" Sounds are mysteriously exchanged and order is restored under starry rural skies. Rich, unusual textures and luxuriant colors, long Fleming's hallmark, here combine in a way that makes every composition feel positively indulgent. Cow, rendered in chocolate brown accented in electric red and ultramarine, seems like a celebration of all things bovine; even the tiny yellow birds and skinny green snake take on a luminous presence, as if put on the page to remind the audience of just how wonderful the world is. Will readers be frustrated by the lack of explanation for the story's premise and conclusion? Perhaps-then again, these pages could be seen as a gorgeous launching pad for a question every youngster savors answering: "What do you think happened?" Ages 4-8. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Denise Fleming definitely has made pulp painting, a papermaking technique, her signature style. Many adults and children alike will be willing to pick up The Cow Who Clucked, her fourteenth book, if only to enjoy the brightly colored chunky illustrations. Then too, farm animals are always a favorite with preschoolers and there are plenty in enjoy. But Fleming always builds something into her books that will make them a wonderful resource in the classroom or at home. Here, she offers opportunities to work on phonemic awareness and language development as Cow goes around the barnyard trying to find the "moo" she has misplaced. As she cluck clucks at the dog, the fish, the duck, the goat, the mouse, the snake, and others, she ignores the three little chicks who clearly are trying to give her message. As she shuffles home, discouraged, she meets their mother and gets the message. Cow and Hen exchange their sounds and everyone goes home to rest in the starry night. This is another delightful offering from a great children's author, well worth coming back to again and again.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 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 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

When Cow wakes up one morning, she finds that she cannot moo: She clucks, instead. Off she goes on a barnyard quest to find her moo, asking in turn Dog, Bee, Cat, Fish and so on throughout the day, until she finds Hen mooing back in the barn. The simple tale is perfect for preschoolers, with its easy (but never boring) predictability and Cow's plaintive refrain: "It is not you who has my moo." Easy animal sounds-meow, quack, squeak-share space with less familiar ones-chee (squirrel), glub (fish), maa (goat)-mixing in such a way as to both bolster kids' confidence and challenge them gently. The illustrations are vintage Fleming, Van Gogh-inspired endpapers framing the jewel-toned daytime action, all done in her distinctive pulp-painting technique. Three little chicks, obviously as confused as Cow is, follow her as she clucks through the barnyard in a silent, humorous subplot, to be happily reunited with Hen by firefly light. The trope of mixed-up animal languages is hardly new, but this offering is a sweet addition to the genre. (Picture book. 3-6)

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