Cow Boy Is NOT a Cowboy

by Gregory Barrington, Gregory Barrington (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet Goat Girl and Merle: an irresistible pair of characters who show young readers that the best friendships are built on more than first impressions.

Goat Girl—an adventurous goat—lives on Humdrum Farm, a place where everything is ordinary, and she's looking for some excitement . When she meets Merle—a bull—she mistakes him for a cowboy since he’s both a cow and a boy. Cowboys aren’t ordinary so Goat Girl can’t wait to introduce herself. 

“HOWDY COWBOY!"

An annoyed Merle insists he's not a cowboy.

But will this not-a-cowboy change his mind when his rootin’-tootin’ dream has a chance to come true?

Saddle up and find out in this hilarious, rollicking unlikely friendship story perfect for fans of Jory John’s Goodnight Already!, Ryan T. Higgins’s Mother Bruce, and Suzanne Lang’s Grumpy Monkey.

Colorado Book Award Winner!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062891365
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/20/2020
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	625,945
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Gregory Barrington lives at the foot of the Rocky Mountains with his just-right family and four dogs that have noses that are too cold and breath that is too hot. While he has seen bears outside his front door, he has never let them into his house. Gregory’s first book, Cow Boy Is NOT a Cowboy, was the winner of the thirtieth annual Colorado Book Award and received a starred review from School Library Journal.

Gregory Barrington lives at the foot of the Rocky Mountains with his just-right family and four dogs that have noses that are too cold and breath that is too hot. While he has seen bears outside his front door, he has never let them into his house. Gregory’s first book, Cow Boy Is NOT a Cowboy, was the winner of the thirtieth annual Colorado Book Award and received a starred review from School Library Journal.

Editorial Reviews

Barrington’s debut is a fun farm fable with softly modeled cartoons that are full of zip (well, at least when Goat Girl is around) and expressive (mostly expressing boredom) creatures. Little listeners, who’ll be anything but bored, will likely hope for further Goat Girl and Cow Boy adventures. This chipper tale of an unlikely farm friendship is sure to bring a smile.  — Kirkus Reviews

A great lesson in individuality delivered in a charming fashion. This picture book debut is a must have for all collections. — School Library Journal (starred review)

From the Publisher

★ 10/01/2020

PreS-Gr 2—A great lesson in individuality delivered in a charming fashion. Humdrum Farm is just what one would expect—boring. Chickens lay average eggs; pigs roll in the mud (but only when necessary), and the goats eat tasteless rice cakes. Enter Goat Girl—the antithesis of dull. She's into French cooking, likes to dress up as a dinosaur, and enjoys riding in a hot air balloon over the countryside. When Goat Girl meets Merle, an exceedingly dull bull, she is smitten. She instantly starts calling him "cowboy" despite the fact that Merle insists that he is not adventurous nor brave, and has a suspicion that he is allergic to horses. There is no way that this cow, who is a boy, is in fact, a cowboy. However, fate has other plans for Merle and when some chickens attempt to cross the road, Merle is forced to channel his inner cowboy and save the day. VERDICT This picture book debut is a must have for all collections. The colorful digital illustrations are full of humor and children will fall in love with Goat Girl and her joie de vivre.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph P.L., MI

School Library Journal

2020-07-28
Can Goat Girl pass on her excitement to Humdrum Farm’s most unexcitable denizen?

The chickens lay “extraordinarily average” eggs. The pigs roll in the mud only when they absolutely must (and on schedule), and the goats are content to eat the most boring foods (“paper flavor rice cakes”)…but not Goat Girl. She makes exciting food (like ratatouille!). She devises her own games when the other goats won’t play. She flies a hot air balloon when the other goats close Lookout Rock for fear of heights. From her balloon she spies Merle, Humdrum Farm’s oldest resident. He wants only to read his Encyclopedia of Dictionaries. When Goat Girl addresses him as “Cowboy,” he assures her though he is a bull, which he defines as “a cow who is a boy,” he is not a cowboy. Goat Girl gives him a pep talk with zero results. But when the chickens indulge their only free-range thought and head for the dangerous road…will Merle help Goat Girl save the day? Barrington’s debut is a fun farm fable with softly modeled cartoons that are full of zip (well, at least when Goat Girl is around) and expressive (mostly expressing boredom) creatures. Little listeners, who’ll be anything but bored, will likely hope for further Goat Girl and Cow Boy adventures. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 69.1% of actual size.)

This chipper tale of an unlikely farm friendship is sure to bring a smile. (Picture book. 2-7)

Kirkus Reviews