I thought the illustrations were really cool. The story is about wanting to feel special, but it doesn't beat you over the head about it. Great for storytime, I think. ( )

Genre
Humorous stories
Picture books for children
Subject
Chickens
Cows
Eggs
Farm animals
Friendship

This is a clever yet subtle book about friendship and adoption. Marjorie the cow has no special skill or talent that makes her stand out, so her friends the chickens lay a cow-spotted egg for her and slip underneath her while she sleeps. Marjorie and the farm becomes world famous as the first cow to lay an egg. (This part is almost reminiscent of Wilbur in Charolette's Web.) Her envious cow-mates don't like having the spotlight taken away, so they go out to prove that Marjorie didn't lay the egg. After weeks of waiting, the egg hatches and out pops a chicken. The chicken, being held by Marjorie, looks at its new mother and says "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The chicken may not have come from inside the cow, but the cow is its Mommy. And what was especially touching is that Marjorie names her adopted baby "Daisy." (My first daughter's name is Daisy and I'm not her biological mother.)

The cut & paste and collage style of the illustrations are bright, funny, and make the farm animals surprisingly expressive. ( )

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This is a witty, amusing, and well-crafted story that reminds the reader that camaraderie and love can be found in unexpected places. One of the greatest merits is the relatable characters. Although Marjorie is a cow, the feeling of sadness and failure in comparison to other peers is something to which many children can relate. ( )