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Why Do Cows Moo? and Other Questions

by Catherine Ripley, Scot Ritchie, illus.

Any parent or educator who has been beleaguered by the never-ending nature questions of a young child will appreciate having Why Do Cows Moo? as a handy resource, not only because it has many answers, but also because it gives them in a way that kids can understand. As adults, we tend to answer kids’ questions with too much information and in a much more complicated way than is necessary. Catherine Ripley answers each question about a farm animal in two stages. Her first answer is simple and succinct – often five words or less. “Why do pigs roll in the mud? To keep cool and comfortable.” “Why do horses sleep standing up? For a fast getaway.” She then goes on to explain the initial answer in more detail. Her sentences are relatively short and simple in structure and the information is presented, for the most part, in a clear, logical fashion.

While each double spread contains one question followed by an answer written as a short paragraph, this book is not your typical question and answer book. The questions are cleverly incorporated into a story in which a family with young children visits an agricultural fair. As they go from one exhibit to another, one of the children asks the question presented in the spread. The accompanying illustration shows the children interacting with the animal discussed in the paragraph. While Scot Ritchie’s illustrations are colourful and detailed, they never overwhelm the text. One spread that I found especially creative and practical shows a bird’s-eye view of the whole fair with various pens of animals. Each pen is labelled with the names of the male, female and young of each animal species.

Why Do Cows Moo? is the kind of book that can be used by different age groups for different purposes. With younger children, the illustrations can be used to identify and discuss the features of individual animals. Children who are a little older (four or five) will enjoy listening to an adult read the book, while six- or seven-year-old accomplished readers will be able to read it on their own. This book can also be used by teachers as a prototype to motivate older students to write and illustrate their own question and answer book.

 

Reviewer: Etta Kaner

Publisher: Owl Books

DETAILS

Price: $17.95

Page Count: 32 pp

Format: Cloth

ISBN: 1-895688-77-9

Released: Mar.

Issue Date: 1998-6

Categories: Children and YA Non-fiction

Age Range: ages 4+