Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

Cows that type?! Hens on strike?! Whoever heard of such things, wonders Farmer Brown, as he deals with the messages left for him by his herd of cows, informing him that they want electric blankets for the cold... and that the chickens do as well! Using the neutral Duck as a negotiator, farmer and animals negotiate, until a compromise is reached. Unfortunately for the farmer, the typewriter falls into the hands of the ducks next...

Originally published in 2000, and chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 2001, Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type is a hilariously entertaining picture-book romp! I would imagine that young listeners will get quite a few giggles out of Farmer Brown's outraged incredulity (I know I did!), and will enjoy following show more along as the cows negotiate better living conditions. The artwork by Betsy Lewin builds on the madcap humor of the text perfectly, and is very appealing. Recommended to young children who enjoy stories with a silly sense of humor. show less

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewis is a cute parody of Animal Farm aimed at the 4 to 8 set.

Farmer Brown's dairy cattle go on strike after their typewritten demands aren't met. Soon the chickens follow suit and the farmer is told via a note: "Closed. No milk. No eggs." (p. 13)

Cronin's funny story with a rhyming scheme that mimics the sound of an old manual typewriter is paired perfectly with Betsy Lewis's illustrations and the wobbly Courieresque lettering completes the illusion of novices typing on antique equipment.

Unlike Orwell's Animal Farm, the animals don't actually take over the farm to set up their own co-op. The cows, as far as I can tell, don't become the party leaders over a farm show more animal proletariat duped into over throwing one master for another. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type is less about revolution and more about labor negotiations.

The ducks, though, they might be planning something. show less

A children's book that I always seemed to find much funnier than my kids, about farm animals organizing a union and bargaining for better working conditions. As someone who sits at the table in a collective bargaining environment, I found it hilarious. Much better than subsequent "duck" books.

“Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type” is a story about a group of cows living on a farm who decide to start typing letters to their farmer in order to meet their demands of a better life on the farm. More animals join into the movement and eventually go on strike until the farmer meets their demands. The message of this story deals with standing up for what you deserve, negotiating, and resolving conflicts. The author gets this message across through the letters being written by the cows and farmer. First, the author has the cows stand up for what is right by demanding to have electric blankets because they are working in uncomfortable conditions. He then demonstrates multiple ways of negotiating by having multiple demands from the show more cows, denials of demands from the farmer, the back and forth between the two parties, and finally using a neutral party of the ducks to make sure that each group ends up happy. Finally, the author shows that sometimes when conflicts are resolved both groups need to budge a little so everyone is happy. This happened through the farmer agreeing to give the cows their blankets if they give him their typewriter. The author used these examples to portray how conflicts can be solved. I thought this was a very fun and humorous book that also teaches a very good lesson to the reader. The pictures of this story greatly added to the book. Most of the letters written from the cows were actually posted on a piece of paper on the barn that was in the illustrations. This was a great way to bring the reader into the story while also backing up the events that were happening and how the cows handled their demands peacefully. I also liked this book because of the changes in font type, size, and boldness. This made the text easier to differentiate between the letters, the narrations, and those who were speaking. This greatly added to the story and made it easier and more fun to read. show less

Cronin's first book in this series is a brilliant and thoroughly enjoyable children's book. Brightly coloured and beautifully illustrated with the stylized whimsy of Lewin's images, Cronin makes great use of humour, onomatopoeia, and repetition to create a story that is equal parts adorable entertainment and political education. As odd as it may sound, I have used this and the subsequent books in the series to introduce basic political activism, political structure and notions of hierarchy and media "spin" to highschool students, and they always respond with laughter and they always use it as a jumping off point for making some strong connections to their own lives and experiences of the world around them. 5 Moooooos.

A delightful introduction to organized labor and work stoppages.

I enjoyed the book “Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type” for a lot of reasons. First, the book was a book that is great to read to children and their imaginations. I loved how the book has unexpected turns that happen to the cows and the farmer. Facial expressions and expressions shown from the characters are funny and make the book enjoyable to read. The farmer changed his attitude and then the cows ended up getting what they wanted. After, the ducks who were the original messengers, used the typewriter to get a diving board. Overall, I believe that this book does a great job of creating fun moments that keep the children intrigued and guessing what will happen next.