Title: Audrey (Cow)
Author: Dan Bar-El
Genre: Children's Fiction
About the Book...
Audrey the cow is told there are three kinds of cows: milk cows, work cows, and food cows. She's in the later category. This is something she just can't accept, so after her mother is taken away she begins to plan how she might escape her fate with the help of the other animals living on Bittersweet Farm. Piece by piece, the story of Audrey unfolds through a series of interviews with the animals and humans involved in the whole escapade.
Inspired by the true story of escaped cow, Cincinnati Freedom/Charlene Moo-Kin, in Ohio.
What I Think...
Another children's book that got my attention because it has such a cute, appealing cover and because, as opposed to picture books, you just don't see many children's chapter books about cows.
This was a very sweet, entertaining story that was over way too soon. While the idea of an animal wanting more than their life has to offer is nothing new, I liked that this came across as less of a forced lesson about trying to succeed in attaining a goal and just flowed along in a natural way. I love that it was told in an interview/documentary format, which would definitely make this fun for a group read aloud. Each of the characters have a clearly defined personalities, including Audrey herself, cows with UFO fixations and accents, a nervously smart pig, and a sneaky skunk among others, all which make the story more amusing. Adding further to this are the delightful illustrations by Tatjana Mai-Wyss!
To Sum it All Up...
A fun story about a cow with a dream of poetry and freedom and how she goes about trying to get it. I will definitely be looking forward to reading other books by Dan Bar-El! ♥
