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35th out of 268 books
—
174 voters
A Birthday for Cow!
by
Jan Thomas
Pig and Mouse are hard at work baking thebest birthday cakeEVER for Cow. But it would be a lot easier if Duck weren't hanging around, yammering on about turnips or some nonsense. (Sheesh!)With all this silliness going on, how will they manageto throw Cow a spectacular birthday party? Well, as it turns out, crazy Duck just might havehad the right idea all along!
This second...more
This second...more
Paperback, 40 pages
Published
April 1st 2008
by Harcourt Children's Books
(first published January 1st 2008)
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This one made me giggle (inside) at the circ desk today. Gotta love the turnips.
The earnestness with which Cow's friends prepare his birthday treats is touching. Duck's savvy devotion to the turnip is inspiring.
The earnestness with which Cow's friends prepare his birthday treats is touching. Duck's savvy devotion to the turnip is inspiring.
Our library story times this month are being inspired by chapters from P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins. Remember the song from the movie "I Love to Laugh"? Mary visits her uncle, who is celebrating his birthday, which makes him laugh. Hence, we began this week's "Laughing-it-Up" story time with a birthday story.
All of Jan Thomas's books work well in a story time. We like "acting out" some parts of the "script". After all, the characters speak in word bubbles, with a little narration to hold it all to...more
All of Jan Thomas's books work well in a story time. We like "acting out" some parts of the "script". After all, the characters speak in word bubbles, with a little narration to hold it all to...more
Once we discovered Jan Thomas through the "Doghouse," we decided we had to read everything she has had her hands on. She has this brilliant way to use very minimal text on the page and let the illustrations carry a lot of the story. There is always a joke, and usually the kids can tell what is coming before it happens which makes them feel very "in" and "smart." Her books elicit belly laughs from my kids.
In "Birthday for Cow," Pig and mouse work through each of the steps to make Cow the greatest...more
In "Birthday for Cow," Pig and mouse work through each of the steps to make Cow the greatest...more
Today is Cow's birthday! Pig and Mouse decided to make Cow the best birthday cake ever. They mix the ingredients for the cake and Duck wants to add a turnip. Next, they mix it all together with... a turnip Duck exclaims, but no they mixed it with a spoon. They then put it in the oven and Duck wants to put the turnip in the oven too. Then Mouse and Pig ice and decorate the cake and on top put candles, but Duck wants to put the turnip ontop instead. When Cow comes they wish her a great big happy b...more
Duck really loves turnips, even though Rat and Pig are clearly making a cake for Cow's birthday. Rat has had enough of Duck's ideas to add turnip to the batter, or stir the cake with a turnip, or put a turnip on top. Despite all of Rat and Pig's hard work, Cow is bowled over with delight by Duck's turnip. More cake for Rat and Pig!
The question-answer setup of the book is perfect for storytime with young children. They'll giggle when Duck wants to put the turnip in the cake, and they'll laugh eve...more
The question-answer setup of the book is perfect for storytime with young children. They'll giggle when Duck wants to put the turnip in the cake, and they'll laugh eve...more
I like Jan Thomas, quite a bit. Her illustrations are fun, her sense of humor is spot on, but I find her endings are pretty confusing to kids. (With the exception of Can You Make a Scary Face which is one of the greatest story time books ever.) To be fair, I read this in toddler story time, and that's probably too young. But her illustrations are so perfect for toddlers! I want her books to work for them, too!
Anyway, I liked this one. It made me giggle. And I might have to try it again in my pr...more
Anyway, I liked this one. It made me giggle. And I might have to try it again in my pr...more
A great and goofy birthday book for beginning readers! Pig and Mouse are baking Cow the best birthday cake ever, but all duck can do is obsess about TURNIPS! Duck wants turnips in the cake, on the cake, mixing the cake, and keeping the cake company at the party, which Pig and Mouse think is all wrong, and maybe even ruinous! Luckily Duck sneaks his surprise onto the scene at the last minute. It turns out Cow loves nothing better on a birthday than...TURNIPS! A great reminder that it's possible t...more
It’s funny to think that even though we have all been kids, so few adults amongst us actually get them. Grown-ups like to think that children are merely shrunken versions of themselves. They forget that a child’s sense of humor is a difficult thing to determine. It’s easy to say, “Well kids think farts are funny so I’ll just write a whole book about farting,” and leave it at that, but in the end it’s the lazy way to do things. Certain picture book author/illustrators have figured out how to spea...more
I love Jan Thomas' books. This is a fabulous, short choice for the birthday-theme storytime. And I love the duck. I couldn't help feeling sorry for the cake makers at the end, but I did like their solution. I think the preschool crowd will get the humor. Toddler probably would, too. And any time I can read a book loudly and a bit obnoxiously, well. Who can pass that up? :-)
9/26/12 & 9/27/12: A great opener for the birthday-theme ST. The kids loved the pictures. Of course. They are fabulous....more
9/26/12 & 9/27/12: A great opener for the birthday-theme ST. The kids loved the pictures. Of course. They are fabulous....more
I LOVE this book. Cow is having a birthday, and pig and mouse are making a cake to celebrate. Duck has other ideas. Duck thinks a turnip is absolutely necessary. Funny, silly, short, expressive. . . Great for toddler stortyime and preschool storytime as well. Don't forget to read all the way to the endpapers! The last lines are a hoot.
My little girls and I howled with laughter over the antics of the animals in this book. It's been three days since we checked it out from the library, and they are still pretending to bake the cake and host the party (a toy plastic onion is the stand-in for the turnip). I will probably purchase this for my three-year-old for her next birthday.
Wow I'm surprised everyone gave this 4 & 5 stars!
For some reason I wasn't impressed. It was okay but definitely not one of my favorite kid's books. Maybe it's because I am stressed out today so I'm kind of in a bad mood & reading it to Ethan just wasn't doing it for me. I'll chock it up to that for giving it two stars.
For some reason I wasn't impressed. It was okay but definitely not one of my favorite kid's books. Maybe it's because I am stressed out today so I'm kind of in a bad mood & reading it to Ethan just wasn't doing it for me. I'll chock it up to that for giving it two stars.
This book was a cute book about having a birthday for a cow! The pictures are really cute. I would use this book for preschool or Kindergarten students as a good read aloud and then have students write their own "book" about animals or a their last birthday.
Award:
A Junior Library Guild Premier Selection
Award:
A Junior Library Guild Premier Selection
Bookaday #16. I read The Doghouse by Jan Thomas to my K and PK students the last week of school and when I saw this at the library I had to pick it up. I was disappointed, not nearly as charming as The Doghouse. I will order it for school and see if the students notice.
I'm a huge Jan Thomas fan. Why? Because her books are absolute HITS for preschool storytime. This one, about cow's birthday, duck's insistence on a turnip while mouse and pig bake a cake was a giggle fest when we got to the ending. Love it.
This book was really funny. The pictures were simple and bold with bright colors that really caught my daughter's attention. I highly recommend this for children. It is really cute, silly, and I laughed a lot.
Duck and mouse make a gorgeous cake for cow, but it is the turnip from the duck that grabs his main attention. Children found the duck to be silly, but were laughing to learn that they were being silly as well.
Who knew turnips could be so funny?
This book isn't my style--a little cartoony and lacking in subtlety--but sometimes children's books can just be for the children. My four-year-old loves it. LOVES it.
This book isn't my style--a little cartoony and lacking in subtlety--but sometimes children's books can just be for the children. My four-year-old loves it. LOVES it.
Jan 14, 2010
Tricia
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Tricia by:
Susan Erhardt
Shelves:
picture,
read-aloud
After describing turnips to my 6yo, just in case he really needed to know to get the book, we read it. He liked it. Sometimes you gotta break convention and think about what your friend really likes...
I discovered Jan Thomas last year and now have all her books in the library. Kids love her and this book does not disappoint. Maybe some kids will try turnips after reading this book.
Love Jan Thomas because it seems that she knows just how to engage a child in storytime. The colors are bright, the lines are bold, and the dialogue is funny and unexpected for the kids.
Dec 20, 2010
jacky
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
preschool - primary
Shelves:
tv,
picture-books
Saw this on Between the Lions. It was a simple story telling about how to make a cake, with a twist of humor with a turnip. Cartoon illustrations that fit the light mood of the story.
This is a really fun, silly book. It's short, sweet, and has really colorful illustrations. A great book to read to get students excited about a birthday party.
Another great book - have yet to use it for storytime, but I have a feeling most kids will love it! Not for little ones, but for the older school aged 5+
I really didn't like this story. It's not nearly as funny as some other books of it's style like the elephant and piggie books. Don't bother with this one.
If you do this book as a read aloud, bring along a real turnip. Most of the kids to whom I present storytimes have no idea what a turnip is.
Cute! I thought it was quite funny, but since kids don't really get it unless you explain what a turnip is, I didn't give it a 5.
The only positive thing about this book is maybe helping your child to actually think about the gifts they give.
Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Give the people what they want - and we'll all be fat & happy!
Bold illustrations, like the outcome, but it would have been nice to acknowledge the hard work of the others.
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Lives in Socorro, New Mexico.
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Apr 23, 2009 01:31pm