Review by Booklist Review
Cowie the donkey loves everything about cows, from their soft ears and kind eyes to their steady contentedness. He even tries being a cow. He stands with them, chews cud alongside them, swishes his tail, and nibbles grass, but when he tries to moo, it comes out backwards. Together with his best friends, Duckie and Mousie, Cowie tries everything he can until he is finally able to turn that moo around. The story line is thin, and the solution is perhaps not entirely satisfying, but Cowie is a precious little protagonist with a pure heart, and his desire to become a cow is preciously earnest. The illustrations are soft and gently captured in a muted wash of farm tones and an abundance of clean white space. The friendship offered by Duckie and Mousie is sweet, the nods toward anthropomorphism are charming (particularly the images of Duckie with a clipboard and visor), and there is additional humor to be found in the presence of some adorable, omnipresent yellow ducklings.--Becca Worthington Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Stanton's (Peddles) newest addition to her gallery of animal outsiders is a little donkey with red ribbons in his tail who sees perfection in cows. "He admired their soft ears and their kind eyes," their unquestioned access to "green, green grass," and--readers may guess at the heart of the matter--the way "no one rode them, or made them carry things, or made them pull things around." As much as Cowie wants to be a cow, however, he can't seem to pull it off; he's an awkward wannabe in the cows' presence, and when he moos, it comes out backwards: "OOOOOOM." Cowie's pals Duckie and Mousie step in to assist, and, after some false starts, they help the donkey make a "Moo" worth celebrating. The narrative loses some of its tautness midway through--sweet, funny training vignettes with the trio (and a skeptical chick onlooker) tread water for a few pages, but readers probably won't mind. Cowie's yearning and determination have a deeply touching specificity, and the pencil and watercolor drawings beguile from beginning to end. Ages 4--8. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Jan.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS--Cowie is a donkey who longs to be a cow. He thinks cows have it much better than donkeys: "No one rode them or made them carry things, or made them pull things around." Cowie reasons that if he spends enough time with the cows and acts like them, he'll surely become one. His friends Mouse and Duck take turns pulling on his lead rope, and his "OOM" finally becomes "MOO." Some of the text may be confusing for young prereaders. Mouse and Duck occasionally speak in backwards words ("KAEUQS" instead of "Squeak"). The text explains, "But it didn't make Cowie feel better because everyone knows Q has to come before U for it to come out right." The accompanying illustration shows a chick pointing to a list of misspelled words. This concept will likely be too complicated for the intended audience, most of whom cannot yet read. The true strength of this title is in the charming and humorous watercolors. VERDICT Recommended for its illustrations and different take on the grass is always greener cliché.--Robin Sofge, Prince William Public Library System, VA
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A donkey longs to be a cow in this picture book.Cowie, a donkey, thinks cows are the best thing ever. "He admire[s] their soft ears and their kind eyes" and their "calm and steady" demeanor. In fact, he loves cows so much that he wants to become one. So he stands with the cows and chews cud with the cows, but when he tries to moo like a cow, it comes out backwards, as "oooooom." Donkey is dreadfully discouraged. His friends Mousie and Duckie (whose names, unlike Cowie's, represent them accurately) try to cheer him up by squeaking and quacking backwards ("kaeuqs" and "kcauq") but to no avail. Next, they examine Cowie ("WHOA" betide them when they get to his breath) to try to find a solution to his backwards mooing. This lighthearted story is decorated with delicate pencil-and-watercolor illustrations that leave plenty of white space on the page to emphasize the buoyant feel. Even the typeface has a certain sense of play to it, adding to the book's well-thought-out overall design. The theme, if readers need one, may be something along the lines of the value of friendship, but when the characters are as cute as Mousie and Duckie (and the unnamed chick who toodles about throughout the pages), readers will be forgiven for just enjoying the silly antics of everyone.A comforting, carefree romp in the land of the silly. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
