Cows

Children's Literature

The covers of the books in this series "Animals that Live on the Farm," a subset of the larger series of "Weekly Reader-Early Learning Library Books," is quite engaging. The featured animal is peering out at the reader through an open pocket in a pair of denim jeans. It is indicative of the design of these books, which is attractive with large type in an easy to read font, and bright clear photographs that will have kid appeal. The introductory note sums up the focus of each book in the series "to help children read about the behavior and life cycles of farm animals." The text is definitely more engaging that others of the same ilk. Important words are bolded, but they are not the ones defined in the glossary—kids will need to look elsewhere if they don't get the meaning from the text. There are additional books listed for more information but no dates are given and only one web site is listed. There is an index and a write-up about the author. Kids learn the proper names for male and female cows, what they eat, how they keep clean and where they live. The issue of a cow chewing its cud may raise questions that will require additional research. Readers also learn that cows raised for milk production are milked twice a day and other cows may be raised for meat. 2005, Weekly Reader-Early Learning Library, Ages 4 to 7.
—Marilyn Courtot