1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cronin, Doreen. 2000. CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE. Ill. by Betsy Lewin. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689832133
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Farmer Brown can’t believe his ears when he hears the sound of a typewriter in the barn. Cows that type? Then he can’t believe his eyes when he finds a note nailed to the barn door. The cows are cold and want electric blankets! Soon the hens join in and go on strike with the cows. As demands and negotiations fly back and forth between Farmer Brown and the cows, Duck’s involvement as the neutral third party doesn’t quite go as Farmer Brown intended. Finally an agreement is reached - or is it? The twist at the end will delight readers of all ages.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Doreen Cronin’s background as an attorney sparkles in this, her first book in the Farmer Brown series. The simple text is lively. The negotiations are hilarious. Children may not know about a typewriter, but they get a good idea of how one sounds. “Click, clack, moo. Click, clack, moo. Clickety, clack, moo.” Typed notes are integrated seamlessly into the text, and Farmer Brown’s incredulous exclamations to the notes draw the human readers into the story. (Animal readers may have trouble if they do not understand Moo.)
Betsy Lewin’s watercolor illustrations are bold and bright. While the text indicates the passing of time with transitions such as “The next day” and “early the next morning,” the illustrations help readers differentiate between what is happening during the day between Farmer Brown and the animals, and what is happening at night in the barn as the colors go from bright to shades of gray. The expressions on the animals’ faces are full of personality and spunk. Farmer Brown certainly has his hands full with this bunch!
Fortunately for us, Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin have collaborated on several books with the promise of more to come.
• A Caldecott Honor Book
• An ALA Notable Book
• A School Library Journal Best Book
• Child Magazine’s Guide to Top Books,Videos, and Software of the Year
• Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of 2000/Picture Book
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*School Library Journal: “A terrific picture-book debut for Cronin.”
*Horn Book: “That typewriters may be as anachronistic to today's kids as rumble seats and spinning wheels won't lessen their enjoyment of this amusing story.”
*Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy: "A read-aloud must for teachers who wish to create classroom space for conversations about literacy and power with even the youngest of readers."
5. CONNECTIONS
*Have children log on to doreencronin.com and click on “Writer U” for fun ideas for writing stories of their own.
*Read some of the books on doreencronin.com under “Good Reads.” Talk about why she might like these books in particular.
*Read more books in the series - Giggle, Giggle, Quack and Duck for President were the next two, but there have been others as well. Children may then want to try writing their own adventure with Farmer Brown’s animals to add to the collection.
*Discuss the power of the written word as demonstrated by the notes in the book. How can our writing provide us with a voice that might otherwise be ignored?
Cronin, Doreen. 2000. CLICK, CLACK, MOO: COWS THAT TYPE. Ill. by Betsy Lewin. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689832133
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Farmer Brown can’t believe his ears when he hears the sound of a typewriter in the barn. Cows that type? Then he can’t believe his eyes when he finds a note nailed to the barn door. The cows are cold and want electric blankets! Soon the hens join in and go on strike with the cows. As demands and negotiations fly back and forth between Farmer Brown and the cows, Duck’s involvement as the neutral third party doesn’t quite go as Farmer Brown intended. Finally an agreement is reached - or is it? The twist at the end will delight readers of all ages.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Doreen Cronin’s background as an attorney sparkles in this, her first book in the Farmer Brown series. The simple text is lively. The negotiations are hilarious. Children may not know about a typewriter, but they get a good idea of how one sounds. “Click, clack, moo. Click, clack, moo. Clickety, clack, moo.” Typed notes are integrated seamlessly into the text, and Farmer Brown’s incredulous exclamations to the notes draw the human readers into the story. (Animal readers may have trouble if they do not understand Moo.)
Betsy Lewin’s watercolor illustrations are bold and bright. While the text indicates the passing of time with transitions such as “The next day” and “early the next morning,” the illustrations help readers differentiate between what is happening during the day between Farmer Brown and the animals, and what is happening at night in the barn as the colors go from bright to shades of gray. The expressions on the animals’ faces are full of personality and spunk. Farmer Brown certainly has his hands full with this bunch!
Fortunately for us, Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin have collaborated on several books with the promise of more to come.
• A Caldecott Honor Book
• An ALA Notable Book
• A School Library Journal Best Book
• Child Magazine’s Guide to Top Books,Videos, and Software of the Year
• Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of 2000/Picture Book
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*School Library Journal: “A terrific picture-book debut for Cronin.”
*Horn Book: “That typewriters may be as anachronistic to today's kids as rumble seats and spinning wheels won't lessen their enjoyment of this amusing story.”
*Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy: "A read-aloud must for teachers who wish to create classroom space for conversations about literacy and power with even the youngest of readers."
5. CONNECTIONS
*Have children log on to doreencronin.com and click on “Writer U” for fun ideas for writing stories of their own.
*Read some of the books on doreencronin.com under “Good Reads.” Talk about why she might like these books in particular.
*Read more books in the series - Giggle, Giggle, Quack and Duck for President were the next two, but there have been others as well. Children may then want to try writing their own adventure with Farmer Brown’s animals to add to the collection.
*Discuss the power of the written word as demonstrated by the notes in the book. How can our writing provide us with a voice that might otherwise be ignored?
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