Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type. All day long he hears Click, clack, moo. Click, clack, moo. Clickety, clack, moo. But the problems really begin when the cows start leaving Farmer Brown notes. First it was electric blankets...where will it end? And when the animals don't get what they want they go on strike, of course! Doreen Cronin's unusual text and Betsy Lewin's quirky illustrations make this a hilarious story.
Doreen Cronin (born 1966) is an American writer of children's books, including Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type, a very well-received picture book illustrated by Betsy Lewin.
This is one of my daughter's favorite books right now. Obviously it's because of the ease in which it helps in understanding the difficulties of labor disputes and the social political climate in which they can rise.
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Or maybe it's because the cows, chickens and ducks are funny.
Either way, an entertaining children's book that brings a laugh to her. Moderately amusing as an adult to read and with many opportunities to do fun voices. Also a good moral in terms of never trusting ducks (learned from many a picnic where they stole bread, now the lesson is easier than ever in book form). 4/5 stars
This book cracked me up. I don’t think the artwork is worthy of a Caldecott, but the story is wonderful. Doreen has a wicked sense of humor.
A group of cows found a typewriter in the barn and they are typing up letters of demands to the farmer. When the farmer finds the notes, he gets angry and the cows go on strike and will not milk any longer. Then the hens go on strike as the cows are typing for them. The farmer is so angry at his animals. Anyway, all they want is electric blankets for the cold nights - that’s it.
A duck acts as diplomat and gets the blankets for the animals. It’s a beginning book that is simple, to the point and so funny. I loved it.
The kids thought it was funny too. The nephew gave this 5 stars. He thought the cows were hilarious. He said he was going to type up some demands. Oh boy. The niece thought this was funny too and she gave this 3 stars. She said it was cute.
You don't understand this review? Check this. You're welcome.
All in all, an hilarious and original book. It gave bad ideas to my pupils though. Oh, well. Better now than never. We must preserve our reputation after all.
PS. I always knew ducks weren't worthy of trust. Just saying.
HA HA! Workers of the world unite! I'm not sure how I accidentally checked out this book on how to explain union movements to your toddler, but this was a h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s, bizarre, and unexpected read.
This was a free library giveaway and we loved it! These smart cows that show the pen is mightier than the sword, in this case typewriter.
It was funny. The kids and I giggled a bit. I think it shows kids it is never too late to learn something new and that you can fight for justice (or electric blankets) no matter your size or circumstance. Enjoyable.
Somebody make me stop laughing. Cows that type were hard to find, actually impossible. Until this book came into existence. I thanked the writers that this time they made the ducks play a neutral role but did they really?
You gotta watch out for those smart cows. Once they realize their power over farmers, there is no end to what they might ask for. Room service. Extra towels. Facials. And you know what THAT means - the price of ice cream will skyrocket! Never let a cow near a typewriter, that's all I'm saying.
This book is absolutely hilarious! I may have an infantile sense of humour but this book made me laugh like a deranged milkman. It reminded me of the sort of thing Spike Milligan used to write.
The illustrations are also rather wonderful, in a Quentin Blake-ish style. Fantastic book. Every child should have this on their bookshelf.
Amusing though smacked a little too much of labor strikes and typical corporate bad guys vs. dissatisfied workers for my taste... I know, I know, it is a kids book, though, and it IS hilarious to think of those cows click-clack-mooing away in the barn! :-)
I want to give this book five stars. It's so fun to read and the artwork is wonderful. But the little 17-month old in whose library it now belongs, is a little slow to warm up to new books. So I'm withholding a star until he responds to it the way he does to Little Blue Truck and Go, Dogs, Go!
I wonder how cows managed to type with their reduced number of digits and no opposable thumbs. At least the hens or the messenger duck could have used the hunt and peck method, but apparently this did not occur until later in the book. This book was written in the year 2000. One wonders why the farm animals did not use computers; with a decent voice recognition software, they might have avoided the awkwardness and tedium of typing altogether.
Publication Info: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing : 2000
Reading Level: Ages 4-8; Early Reader
Topic/Theme: Animal Rights/ Strike
Issues Addressed: Whether animals should be given rights on the farm. Does the farmer have the right to keep the animals produce? Social issues: stereotypical farmer and farm setting
Summary: The animals on the farm find a typewriter. They start to send the farmer messages. They demand to have electric blankets because the barn is cold at night. They eventually go on strike and refuse to give their milk or eggs. The duck is the mediator in the story.
Text and image: The illustrations are phenomenal. The text and the images correlate wonderfully together. The text is written in an interactive manner. By the end of the book the children are mooing along with the "click, clack, moooo". They always get a chuckle out of the "click, clack, quack" at the end of the book. The text is engaging and comical. You do not expect the duck to choose a side, being that he is the mediator.
You had me at typing cows and formal complaints. This book was absolutely adorable and the farmer was a legit goat. I really enjoyed reading this story to my son last night so much I read it again for myself.
We've all heard that the "pen is mightier than the sword" and "the squeaky wheel gets the grease," well in Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, Farmer Brown learns firsthand just how true these adages are when his cows find a typewriter in the barn and demand better treatment.
When Farmer Brown first hears the click-clack sounds coming from the barn, he tries digging out the wax buildup in his ears because cows can't type!
But these cows can, and they nail their demands on the barn wall:
Dear Farmer Brown,
The barn is very cold at night. We'd like some electric blankets.
Sincerely, The Cows
Farmer Brown will not give in to their demands, so they go on strike and withhold their milk. It's not long before the hens feel the chill in the barn and join the strike.
This puts Farmer Brown in a tizzy because every fool knows you can't run a farm with no milk and no aiggs! So he dusts off his own typewriter and bangs out a letter reminding the cows and hens that they are animals and he demands that they produce for him.
Eventually the two sides come to an agreement, and peace returns to the farm. That is until Duck feels empowered to make his own demands known. Seems what the boring pond has always needed is a diving board.
Click, Clack, Moo rightly received a Caldecott Award in 2001 and was named one of the Best Children's Book by Publisher's Weekly.
What a funny little book! I read Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type yesterday with 5 year old Abby and 3 year old Emma, my neighbor’s granddaughters.
After the first few pages Abby started to giggle and said she knew what the cows were typing. “They want some electric blankets!”
She had read this book at school and remembered it almost word for word! Both girls laughed uproariously all the way to the end of the book. Then I kept hearing “Again! Again! Read it again!”
The drawings are funny and the story is outrageous. What young child doesn’t like funny animal stories! I’m not surprised that this book earned a Caldicott Honor.
Not so much a preschool aged book as for older children. My 5 yr old got a kick out of it and paid attention throughout. The illustrations were adorable and I could see us getting a copy of this and reading it again in the future. Simple story line that had everyone laughing.
Bò đánh máy mở đường cho con gái đến với thế giới sách nói chung và sách ít chữ nhiều tranh đẹp mê ly nói riêng. Ờ thì dù chưa biết chữ nhưng con nghe mẹ đọc vậy chắc cũng không khác mấy với mẹ nghe sách nói.
Mẹ đã cố gắng nhập vai tốt nhất có thể, đầu tiên là bò, sau đó là vịt. Một lần, hai lần còn thú vị, chứ đến lần thứ n - khi mà trang sách đã khá nhàu rồi á - thì mẹ chả thích thú gì nữa, vì cứ phải b ò ò ò, b ò ò ò, b ò ò ò..., quạc, quạc, quạc... liên tục thôi. Con gái hãy mau lên lớp một để tự đọc ngôn ngữ của bọn bò và vịt nhé.
Bây giờ viết đôi ba dòng cho quyển sách thì có hơi muộn rồi. Vì sao ư? Vì giờ mẹ và con đã có rất nhiều cuốn sách tranh khác để so sách. Đặt nó và Trái tim của mẹ lên bàn cân thì, nội dung - nó nhỉnh hơn một chút chỉnh (thật ra là nhiều hơn một chút), hình thức - nó lép vế một tí teo (chính xác là chỉ nhiêu đó thôi).
Sau này có thể tự mình trò chuyện với sách, con sẽ thấy điều đó, điều khác biệt về nội dung ấy. Chứ giờ mẹ nói thì cũng mất hay đi. Quyển này có mấy chữ đâu mà mẹ đã viết đến chừng này rồi lại thêm chừng nữa thì chắc các bạn khác không còn hứng thú đọc Bò đánh máy đâu con ạ.
(Có điều, nếu nói thì ngắn dọn thế này: Bò đánh máy là đồng minh của Chuyện ở nông trại. Dòng này thì dành cho các bạn mẹ, con không cần bận tâm nghen.)
Giờ thì mẹ chỉ xin nói nhỏ với con rằng thì là mà mẹ thấy nét vẽ hơi bị không đẹp nha, theo kiểu nguệch ngoạc ngô nghê con ạ. Và vì mẹ con ta không am hiểu gì về hội họa nên cứ xì xầm thế này thôi nhá. Có khi đó là tuyệt tác, vì không thế thì sao bà Lewin lại có được tiếng vang lớn nhờ minh họa cho Bò đánh máy chứ.
Thôi, nói bấy nhiêu đủ rồi con ạ. (Có khi dư luôn.)