Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type

Book: Click, Clack Moo Cows that Type
Author: Doreen Cronin
Illustrator: Betsy Lewin
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publisher City: New York, New York
Copyright date: 2000
ISBN: 1-41-69-0348-8

Summary
"Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type" in a way reminded me of a cute children's version of George Orwell's "Animal Farm" only it didn't mirror the Russian Revolution and the human was a nice guy, if not a little frustrated nice guy. The poor farmer had put an old typewriter in the barn for storage purposes, and the cows found it. The cows were freezing in their barn and wanted some electric blankets to keep them worn. So they wrote a letter to the farmer with their demand. When the farmer refused, they refused to give milk. And they posted a note on the barndoor, that they were "closed." The Farmer was frustrated, but refused to give in. Pretty soon the chickens joined in and refused to give the farmer eggs. The duck was neutral, so he relayed messages back and forth. Finally in a meeting, ala Animal Farm, the cows and chickens agree to send the typewriter back to duck in exchange for blankets. The Farmer says okay, but the typewriter takes a detour to the duck's pond. The ducks get together and decide the pond would be much more fun with a diving board. Guess who get's their wish right away?

Abby's Review
"Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that type" is a cute story, if a tiny bit unbelieveable. Many questions run through the young readers mind: "How can a cow type?", "What is a typewriter?", and "How can a duck carry a typewriter?". As an older reader I was wondering how the farmer was going to afford the electric bills. I figured if the Chick-fil-A cows can get on top of a speeding car, reach into a moon roof to grab burgers, and stay on the car, then they can probably figure out how to use a typewriter. The tone is appropriate for little children who will find themselves giggling at the cows who type, the neutral duck, and the frustrated farmer. The writing is appropriate for a seven-year-old who knows what it means to be furious and uses it in a sentence to let his or her parents know they aren't happy with a punishment.
The pictures are done in the cartoon art styling which fits a story that is very much a cartoon book. The pictures show the emotion of the characters. When the cows first post the note they will not give milk, the hissy fit Farmer Brown has is shadowed on the barn door. The cows are looking out at Brown with their eyes wide like they cannot believe a human would act the way Brown is acting.

Professional Reviews
From Publishers Weekly:
Plucky barnyard denizens unite to improve their working conditions in this hilarious debut picture book from Cronin (appropriately enough, an attorney). Farmer Brown is dumbfounded when his cows discover an old typewriter in the barn and begin experimenting ("All day long he hears click, clack, moo. Click, clack, moo. Clickety clack moo"). Things really get out of hand when the cows began airing their grievances. Lewin (Araminta's Paint Box) conveys the fellow's shock as he reads: "Dear Farmer Brown, The barn is very cold at night. We'd like some electric blankets. Sincerely, The Cows." When Farmer Brown denies the cows' request, the bovine organizers go on strike. Through the use of the man's shadow, Lewin communicates his rage: the straw in his hat creates the appearance of his hair on end. With help from a neutral duck mediator, the exasperated Farmer Brown finally makes concessions. But, much to his dismay, the cows are not the only creatures that can type. Cronin humorously turns the tables on conventional barnyard dynamics; Lewin's bold, loose-lined watercolors set a light and easygoing mood that matches Farmer Brown's very funny predicament. Kids and underdogs everywhere will cheer for the clever critters that calmly and politely stand up for their rights, while their human caretaker becomes more and more unglued. Ages 3-7. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books v. 54 no. 1 (September 2000) p. 12
Stevenson, Deborah

Cronin keeps her absurd idea well disciplined, with poker-faced precision and simple language (the bovine notes are always politely signed 'Sincerely, The Cows') that keep this from being an airy-fairy whimsy and instead make it into solid and imaginative barnyard humor. . . . The visuals parallel the loopy inspiration of the text with a sly inventiveness of their own."

Connections
Related books would be others by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin like Duck for President and Giggle, Giggle, Quack.
Have the students write a paper on how they would have handled the cows.
Have the students write a story about what animal got the typewriter next and what they would have asked for.
The students will write a script for four people on what happened in the meeting with the cows and what the animals outside the barn were saying.