nagels's Full Review: Jan Thomas - A Birthday for Cow!
In a universe full of bland, purposeless children's books, Jan Thomas is a shining star of integrity, purpose, and fun. A Birthday For Cow is the third Jan Thomas book I've enjoyed reading and I look forward to more. This luminary of a story has been deservedly acclaimed by numerous reviewers. Other books by Jan Thomas are: The Doghouse, Rhyming Dust Bunnies, Can You Make a Scary Face, What Will Fat Cat Sit On, and Here Comes the Big Mean Dust Bunny. Spudopsis
Those who have read other Jan Thomas offerings will recognize some familiar faces on the cover, Duck and Cow on the front and Pig and Mouse on the back. Dog and Cat unfortunately weren't invited to the festivities. Cow's birthday is circled on the calendar in purple marker that uncannily looks genuine on the book's first page. The characters are excited about the event as Pig and Mouse plan to make the mother of all birthday cakes. As they make the cake Duck wants to throw a turnip into the batter. Pig and Mouse reject the turnip suggestion each time it is proffered. After the cake is done Pig and Mouse add the icing; duck wants to put a turnip on top to the horror of Pig and Mouse who shout in large red capitals, "CANDLES!!!." In great anticipation the three buddies await Cow and in unison wish her a happy birthday, mouse holding the magnificent cake on his head and open-mouthed Duck grasping the large turnip in one hand. Cow is thrilled, declares this the best birthday ever, and reaches for the ....
TaterThoughts
The A Birthday For Cow features lovable, empathetic cartoon characters, simple yet effective art, and a word bank well chosen for the audience. With her bold, digital broad-brush strokes, screaming colors, and expressive character eyes, the author successfully creates intense, infectious mood on the pages. The twist at the end is funny, and a reference to it is repeated in the Doghouse. Be sure to read Birthday before reading Doghouse; though I read them in reverse order the repeated reference was still delicious.
I like the author's masterful use of font to move the story along and add to its intensity by employing various sizes and colors for her words. Sometimes a word in emphasized in red or caps or emphatically giant, red, upper case letters. The author uses repetition well and a reasonable vocabulary level of one and two syllable words. Many children's authors for some reason choose to use impossibly difficult words that can only frustrate and confound young readers. This book makes use of more two-syllable words than her other books and even employs a three-syllable interloper, recipe. With context and using the initial "r" sound, some bright readers might be able to figure out the word. I can proudly say that I did!
As in other Jan Thomas books, there are no wasted blank pages anywhere between the covers. The mayhem and frivolity continue on the publisher's page in the back and on the inside back cover where Cow and Duck walk away deep in conversation and on little blue shadows.
This is a book that begs to be read aloud by an adult reader or by children playing roles. A Birthday for Cow is well worth considering for your own child(ren) or as a gift for someone else. BONUS IDEA
If I were reading this book with a group of kindergarteners, I might first introduce them to a turnip during a prereading activity. It might even be an opportunity to introduce other vegetables like an eggplant, leek, radish or spaghetti squash. Having done so might make the appearance of the turnip in A Birthday for Cow even more exciting and special for the little tykes.
40 pages For ages 4-8 Harcourt Children's Books (April 1, 2008) English language version 9.1 x 9.1 x 0.3 inches
In this follow-up to her What Will Fat Cat Sit On?, Thomas delivers a hilarious tale that features wacky humor, rowdy repetitions, and irreverent dial...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.