Cows to the Rescue

PreS-Gr 1--If it's not chickens and pigs, then it's cows to the rescue. In this third farmyard outing, Farmer Greenstalk and his family are "saved" by their wildly rampaging dairy cows as they make their way to the county fair. From the three-legged race to riding the Ferris wheel and prepping for the Smartest Pig Contest, the divine bovines keep disaster at bay. The events happen in two-hour increments beginning at 7:00 a. m. with a wild ride to the fair and ending 12 hours later with Greenstalks, cows, pigs, and chicken asleep in a heap. The pencil and watercolor illustrations are packed with plenty of personality and have enough detail to keep kids turning the pages to learn the outcome. Children will, of course, pipe up with the refrain "Cows to the Rescue!" in group readings and during lapsits, and the mad antics of these friendly and very game rescuers will delight them.--Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI

First chickens, then pigs--now the Greenstalk family's cows are lending a hoof, just in time for the county fair. Himmelman's white and ginger-colored bovines carry the family to the fair when the car won't start; bathe a muddy Ernie the duck (insuring that he wins the Handsomest Duck Contest); accompany fearful Emily on the Ferris wheel; and offer an impromptu lesson to unstudied pigs ahead of the Smartest Pig Competition. Himmelman relies on the formula he introduced in the first two books, but this expressive and determined herd of cows should have readers laughing until the you-know-whats come home. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)