Review by Booklist Review
Ages 3^-6. Annalisa, "the most curious and most stubborn" of Mama May's many, many children, watches every day as Mama May sings a polite request to her cow, Luella, milks her, sings a song of gratitude, and kisses her on the nose. One day, Annalisa decides to milk the cow herself. She repeats most of the ritual, but she can't bring herself to kiss the cow's nose. As a result, the next day Luella is woeful, out of sorts, and unable to let down her milk, much to the distress of the many, many hungry children. Annalisa finally puts everything right with a kiss on Luella's lovely nose. Elements of folklore echo through the story that reads aloud rhythmically with a satisfying, folksy sound. Hillenbrand's artwork, which appears to combine pencil, pastel, and watercolor, has a rhythmic sense to it as well. The well-conceived illustrations, warm in color and graceful in line, depict a variety of scenes with style and panache. Children will find many entertaining details in these lively pictures. A satisfying read-aloud. --Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The most curious and stubborn of Mama May's children observes how she coaxes daily buckets of milk from the cow and then imitates her to the letter... until it's time to pucker up. "Youngsters will be rooting for Annalisa to kiss the cow and save the day," said PW. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Annalisa is the most curious and most stubborn of Mama May's brood, a lively group of siblings too numerous to count. Daily, she watches her mother go off to the pasture to milk a magic cow, and each time she feels disgusted when her mother kisses the animal on the nose in thanks. The child wonders what it must be like to milk a magic cow and one day she sets out to find out. She milks Luella, but refuses to kiss her, resulting in dire consequences. The cow will give no more milk; the children go hungry. Mama May pleads with Annalisa to complete the ritual, but the girl adamantly refuses. Finally, her curiosity gets the better of her and she breaks down and puckers up. All ends well with the contented cow giving milk once again. This lighthearted tale is accompanied by colorful cartoonlike illustrations. A good discussion starter on curiosity and its consequences, it also provides an example of a stubborn character backing down. Flowing language makes it a fun read-aloud.-Anne Knickerbocker, Cedar Brook Elementary School, Houston, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Preschool, Primary) In a house ""as wide as the prairie,"" Mama May had ""so many children she couldn't count them all."" These innumerable stomachs are kept content by the milk from Mama May's magic cow, Luella. Every day, Mama May sings to Luella as she milks her, and every day she thanks Luella with a kiss, ""right on the end of her velvety, brown nose."" Red-headed Annalisa, the ""most curious and the most stubborn"" of all the children, follows Mama May to the pasture each day to watch. Despite Mama May's warnings to leave Luella alone, curious Annalisa sneaks off to milk the cow, singing Mama May's song just right-but refusing to kiss the ""slobbery, bristly cow"" when she's through. Like Strega Nona's pot in reverse, Luella's milk stops flowing, and the children go hungry until they can persuade Annalisa to kiss the despondent cow. Phyllis Root draws on familiar elements to tell an original story of magic and mischief. Hillenbrand's sunny colors reflect the light spirit of the tale, and hordes of happy children spill through the prairie grass, jump in the haystacks, and swing from the laundry line. Unconventional Annalisa stands out from the crowd, appearing as unrepentant and immovable as Sendak's Pierre when she is refusing to give the required kiss. The story's tone assures a happy ending, wherein hunger is abated by a mere gesture of affection. A more fortunate cousin of the Old Woman in the Shoe, this Mama is at peace with her brood as long as the magic milk flows. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A refreshing, original American tall tale. Root (All for the Newborn Baby, p. 1431, etc.) is a master of storytelling: with simple language, predictable rhythms and repetition, and flawless pacing, this story begs to be read aloud, again and again. Mama May had a magic cow, lovely Luella, whose milk never failed. The secret was that Mama May sang to her to get enough milk to feed her many children; sang again to stop the flow; then thanked Luella with a kiss on her velvety brown nose. Mama Mays daughter Annalisa wasnt the youngest, and she wasnt the oldest, but she was the most curious and the most stubborn. So despite her mothers warnings, Annalisa just had to milk that cow. Annalisa sang the songs and milked the cowbut she didnt kiss the cow. When Luella did not give milk, Mama May knew whom to suspect. Even though Mama May patiently requested, and the hungry siblings begged, Annalisa, who was as stubborn as she was curious, refused to kiss the cow. Hillenbrands (Down by the Station, 1999, etc.) illustrations are of mixed dry media: colored pencil, chalk, and ink layered on vellum, a technique that creates a richness and depth of field and gives an almost marbleizing texture to the figures. He presents a variety of visual perspectives, including sweeping landscapes and homey indoor vignettes. And his immense attention to detail is gratifying, portraying the humor and pathos of the story. A satisfying treatfrom the front endpapers, which depict a multitude of children jumping from a hayloft to the final endpapers of satiated faces with milk mustaches. Certain to be a hit with kids and adults, this deserves a big smooch. (Picture book. 3-6)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
