Cowie

by Elizabeth Rose Stanton, Elizabeth Rose Stanton (Illustrator)

Overview

Cowie is a donkey who feels like a cow on the inside. Will his friends help him make his dream come true? Find out in this sweetly told story about discovering your true self.

Cowie was born a donkey but he knows he’s meant to be a cow. He wants to be a cow. Cows can graze in the meadow all day long and no one asks them to carry heavy packages. So, he stands with the cows in the barn but nothing happens. Will his dream ever come true, he wonders. Can Mousie and Duckie help Cowie feel happy in his own skin?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534421745
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
Publication date:	01/07/2020
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Elizabeth Rose Stanton began her picture book writing and illustrating adventure a few years ago, after a brief career as an architect, and long career as a parent and fine artist. Her debut book, Henny, was awarded an American Library Association Booklist star and was named as one of the best books of 2014 for children by The New York Public Library. School Library Journal called her second book, Peddles, “quietly wonderful,” and the illustrations, “a thing of beauty.” Elizabeth grew up in New York and now lives in Seattle with her husband and a trio of Scottish Fold cats.

Elizabeth Rose Stanton began her picture book writing and illustrating adventure a few years ago, after a brief career as an architect, and long career as a parent and fine artist. Her debut book, Henny, was awarded an American Library Association Booklist star and was named as one of the best books of 2014 for children by The New York Public Library. School Library Journal called her second book, Peddles, “quietly wonderful,” and the illustrations, “a thing of beauty.” Elizabeth grew up in New York and now lives in Seattle with her husband and a trio of Scottish Fold cats.

Editorial Reviews

09/16/2019

Stanton’s (Peddles) newest addition to her gallery of animal outsiders is a little donkey with red ribbons in his tail who sees perfection in cows. “He admired their soft ears and their kind eyes,” their unquestioned access to “green, green grass,” and—readers may guess at the heart of the matter—the way “no one rode them, or made them carry things, or made them pull things around.” As much as Cowie wants to be a cow, however, he can’t seem to pull it off; he’s an awkward wannabe in the cows’ presence, and when he moos, it comes out backwards: “OOOOOOM.” Cowie’s pals Duckie and Mousie step in to assist, and, after some false starts, they help the donkey make a “Moo” worth celebrating. The narrative loses some of its tautness midway through—sweet, funny training vignettes with the trio (and a skeptical chick onlooker) tread water for a few pages, but readers probably won’t mind. Cowie’s yearning and determination have a deeply touching specificity, and the pencil and watercolor drawings beguile from beginning to end. Ages 4–8. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

03/01/2020

PreS—Cowie is a donkey who longs to be a cow. He thinks cows have it much better than donkeys: "No one rode them or made them carry things, or made them pull things around." Cowie reasons that if he spends enough time with the cows and acts like them, he'll surely become one. His friends Mouse and Duck take turns pulling on his lead rope, and his "OOM" finally becomes "MOO." Some of the text may be confusing for young prereaders. Mouse and Duck occasionally speak in backwards words ("KAEUQS" instead of "Squeak"). The text explains, "But it didn't make Cowie feel better because everyone knows Q has to come before U for it to come out right." The accompanying illustration shows a chick pointing to a list of misspelled words. This concept will likely be too complicated for the intended audience, most of whom cannot yet read. The true strength of this title is in the charming and humorous watercolors. VERDICT Recommended for its illustrations and different take on the grass is always greener cliché.—Robin Sofge, Prince William Public Library System, VA

School Library Journal

2019-08-26
A donkey longs to be a cow in this picture book.

Cowie, a donkey, thinks cows are the best thing ever. "He admire[s] their soft ears and their kind eyes" and their "calm and steady" demeanor. In fact, he loves cows so much that he wants to become one. So he stands with the cows and chews cud with the cows, but when he tries to moo like a cow, it comes out backwards, as "oooooom." Donkey is dreadfully discouraged. His friends Mousie and Duckie (whose names, unlike Cowie's, represent them accurately) try to cheer him up by squeaking and quacking backwards ("kaeuqs" and "kcauq") but to no avail. Next, they examine Cowie ("WHOA" betide them when they get to his breath) to try to find a solution to his backwards mooing. This lighthearted story is decorated with delicate pencil-and-watercolor illustrations that leave plenty of white space on the page to emphasize the buoyant feel. Even the typeface has a certain sense of play to it, adding to the book's well-thought-out overall design. The theme, if readers need one, may be something along the lines of the value of friendship, but when the characters are as cute as Mousie and Duckie (and the unnamed chick who toodles about throughout the pages), readers will be forgiven for just enjoying the silly antics of everyone.

A comforting, carefree romp in the land of the silly. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews