The Cow Loves Cookies and I like Karma Wilson

The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson; illustrated by Marcellus Hall; published by Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, New York; 2010.

Karma Wilson’s The Cow Loves Cookies is a rollicking repetitive story of what the animals on the farm eat.  But there’s a twist, or two, to the tale.  Cow loves to eat cookies.  The reason will warm your heart.  And wait until you hear what Duck likes to eat!

Wilson’s rhyming story is a fun listing of animals and their foods.  The silliness of Cow’s favorite food will tickle the tots in its absurdity.  Marcellus Hall’s ink and watercolor cartoon-like illustrations are bold and broad.  They’re the perfect fit for Wilson’s story and its intended audience.  I like the end pages: An overhead shot of the farm sets the scene for the story.  Adding to the charm of the book is the way the font changes to highlight important words (the names of the animals and the name of the foods they eat, for example).  Also, the really large type for “but the cow loves cookies” is a perfect visual clue for children to join in the story telling.

Of course the rhyme and rhythm and repetition make this book a perfect read-aloud.  Children should be encouraged to chime in the end of each list with “but the cow loves cookies.”  I’d also be sure that a discussion of each animal and its preferred food happens as the animals are introduced.

The publisher notes that resources to “Meet the author and illustrator and get activities” are available at their website www.kids.simonandschuster.com.  I couldn’t get the information for this title to load as of September 2, 2010.  I hope that bug gets fixed; I always like to recommend supplemental Web resources when I recommend a book.