Counting Cows

by Woody Jackson, Woody Jackson (Illustrator)

Overview

Cows munch, meander, sleep, sun themselves, and wade through vibrant Vermont landscapes before gathering for a kick-up-your-hooves barn dance. This bold, bovine twist on counting is sure to amuse little ones just learning their numbers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780152021740
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/26/1999
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	24
Sales rank:	534,397
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 4.38(h) x (d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Woody Jackson lives in Addison County, Vermont—the land of milk and honey. He discovered art and cows at Middlebury College, from which he graduated in 1970. He created ties among the dairymen and -women there and has been creating bovine artwork ever since. He also received an MFA from the Yale School of Art and lived in New York City. Vermont is where his heart and art coexist. His cows grace the sides of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream trucks as well as many art collections.

Woody Jackson lives in Addison County, Vermont—the land of milk and honey. He discovered art and cows at Middlebury College, from which he graduated in 1970. He created ties among the dairymen and -women there and has been creating bovine artwork ever since. He also received an MFA from the Yale School of Art and lived in New York City. Vermont is where his heart and art coexist. His cows grace the sides of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream trucks as well as many art collections.

Editorial Reviews

A delightful backward counting book from the Ben & Jerry’s cow illustrator.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Brightly colored panoramas depict a cow countdown.”—School Library Journal
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From the Publisher

Ice cream connoisseurs might recognize the black-and-white bovines in this picture book debut from another setting: Jackson's distinctive critters decorate a number of Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlors. Here the animals are placed against lustrous full-spread gouache and watercolor landscapes, as Jackson counts down his herd from 10 to zero (``Nine fenced Friesians,'' ``Eight cool cattle,'' etc.). Though the backgrounds-rendered in electric blues, reds, oranges, greens and purples-are more impressionistic than lifelike, the artist's sweeping strokes and distant perspectives suggest wide-open country spaces. The final spread belies the animals' seeming indolence, as all 10 are shown decked out in snazzy western wear, gathered for a ``Barn dance!'' in a cute but tacked-on finale. Ages 3-8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-Minimal text and brightly colored panoramas depict a cow countdown (from 10-1) that includes ``Nine fenced Friesians,'' ``Six haying heifers,'' ``Two crossing bossies,'' etc. Impressionistic gouache and watercolor double-page spreads are attractive, but bovine figures are frequently so abstract as to be identifiable only by their consistent black-and-white color. In one instance, two of the ``Eight cool cattle'' blend so closely they could almost be mistaken for one-an unacceptable lapse in a counting book for preschoolers. Rural backdrops vary widely from farm to pond to field; the Holsteins are the only constant. In a surprise ending, following a spread of ``Zero cows,'' the previously pastoral animals don western-style clothing, play music, and hold a ``Barn dance!'' This slight picture book is mainly for the artist's fans who can't get enough of his favorite subject.-Tana Elias, Meadowridge Branch Library, Madison, WI

School Library Journal