The Cow That Went OINK

by Bernard Most

The Cow That Went OINK is a giggle-inspiring picture book that also has a gentle message about respecting differences. A cow that oinks and a pig that moos are teased by the other barnyard animals until each teaches the other a new sound. "Pure fun," commented The Horn Book . "A delightfully silly picture book with a not-so-silly message."

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction, Spanish Literature, Friendship

40 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 1990

About the author

Bernard Most is an author of children's books, especially books about dinosaurs. He lives in Westchester County, New York with his wife, two cats, and many fish.

Reviews

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the farm there's a cow that goes oink and a pig that goes moo. They get laughed at by all the other animals until they teach each other the sound they're supposed to make.

This could be a good book for second language learners. The pig and the cow essentially teach each other to be bilingual. There's also a lot of fun onomatopoeia in the book for language teachers. And little ones learning the noises animals make will find a plethora of animals making noises in here.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Valentine's Day one year, I painted a big shipping box to look like a barn and put in it a plush cow and a pig and this book, and gave it to my then two-year-old son. Weird -- yeah, maybe. Smart -- yeah, definitely. He likes the toys and the book, and all of his farm animals are now housed in the barn box.

I first encountered this book in its oversized version when my friend and former colleague, Louise N., were looking for books for Reader's Theatre. We found this book, and since we already had the pig and cow puppets, it was a cinch to use. The only challenging part was turning those oversized pages and working the puppets at the same time, but that's another story. Anyway, whether this story is being read to thirty five-year-olds or one two-year-old, it's a riot. Which makes it hold up really well for repeated reading and is one of my standards in buying a child's book.

The title of the book tells about half the story, so I won't give away any more. It does have a happy ending, which is another one of my standards in buying a child's book, especially for a toddler.

[Tym · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the adorable tale of cow that could only say oink. While predictable the story is heart-warming and empowering. The art is not to my taste.

[Darin Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title implies, we have a cow, when she speaks, say "oink" instead of "moo", but to her chagrin! She's teases by the other animals of the barnyard until she meets a pig that say says "moo" instead of "oink". The pig is teased by the same barnyard animals, until they team up together to teach each other the "correct" sound. Then, they can speak both, and get the last laugh!

4 1/2 stars because of the topic of fitting in, teasing someone who doesn't fit in, and overcoming the obstacles that are placed in front of you to become better in the end! I'd go with 5 stars, but the illustrations aren't to my liking, but that's a personal perference.

[Kate* · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book as a child. I still have my original hardback one, but I bought my kids a new paperback one, too. I think I like it so much because the cow & pig could do something unexpected & then they learned to do something that everyone thought they couldn’t do & ended up knowing how to do more than just one thing. It teaches kids how others feels when you make fun of them or laugh at them & it teaches them that to learn something new you have to work hard & keep practicing.

[Marisa Severin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the illustrations were captivating and the sentences were simple, I didn't really enjoy this book. I didn't like the plot. I didn't like the idea that the two animals who were different were being laughed at.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Bernard Most, famous for his dinosaur picture books, is a picture book about farm animals, particularly a cow that goes OINK. That cow is all alone, sad, and embarrassed, because all the other animals laugh at her for not knowing how to "moo." They laugh in fun variations on animal sounds, like Moo-Ha, Hee-Haw-Ha, or Bow-Wow-Ha. Illustrated in greens and browns and yellows, good farm colors, the story teaches a lesson about how two outsiders (the other being a pig that can only say "moo") can help each other. Rather than a book about conformity, though, the outsider cow and pig find that with persistence and practice, they can say both Oink and Moo! Bilingual is certainly better! So "they have the last laugh!" The other animals can't act superior after this display of language prowess! (Oakland Public Library)

[Eugenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ini bukunya lucu sangat, loh! Bahkan ketika membaca judul dan sinopsisnya udah bikin tertawa. Idenya nampak konyol.
Jadi ceritanya di sebuah peternakan, ada seekor sapi yang bersuara "Oink." Tentu saja dia selalu ditertawakan hewan-hewan lain. Di sisi lain, ada juga seekor babi yang hanya bisa bersuara, "Moo." Ia pun bernasib sama seperti si sapi.

Meski sudah bisa ditebak bahwa mereka akan saling membantu agar bisa bersuara dengan tepat, yang membuat cerita ini menarik adalah bagaimana penulis menggambarkan kedua hewan ini saling mengajari dan berlatih keras. Antara ingin ngakak sekaligus termotivasi sama semangat mereka. Beneran. Hihihi.

Nah, menurut kalian, apakah sapi dan babi pada akhirnya bisa bersuara seperti sapi dan babi pada umumnya?
Selamat membaca, ya!

[Nicole Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t care for the illustrations, but this was published in 1990 and they are that classic vintage style. I do like that they use nonverbal/ body language communication in the book without making it obnoxiously obvious for the reader (like the cow comforting her friend with her tail).

The illustrations are also a little bit cheeky, which I can appreciate. Like on one page the pig has a full wheel barrel of potatoes, and the amount gets progressively smaller in each frame, until she has presumably eaten them all. It’s not relevant to the story, but just a funny observation that happens more than once in the book.

Though its a cute idea with a relatable message about not fitting in, the story itself is a bit bland and predictable.

That said, my kid really likes this one, and asks for it over and over.

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about a silly cow who says oink, and how the other cows and animals on the farm made such fun of the mixed up animal. One day she hears a friendly moo coming from a pig! The pig takes the cow back to her family that was always laughing at the mixed up pig, the same way the cow was. The two outcasted friends decide to teach each other how to make each others sounds. The cow and the pig get unmixed up and feel truly happy relishing in their amazing ability to be the only animal who could speak both oink and moo.

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

The moral of the story is to not be ashamed of speaking another language because you can always learn a new language and keep your original language as well, hence, be bilingual. It's also good for children to learn how the barn animals sound. I had a friend that was ashamed of speaking German because all her schoolmates would laugh at her accent and she stopped speaking it all together. Her whole family spoke German except her and she ended up regretting it a lot when she grew up.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cow says oink and a pig says moo, much to the intolerant amusement of the other barn animals. I couldn't help but think of the treatment some people have to handle if they have an accent or don't speak the local language. This could be a good intro to kids about being kind to those who speak differently. In the end, they teach one another their language and become bilingual.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another funny book about a confused cow. Simplistic, may be better for my toddlers. Also, I won't use in tandem with the other Most cow book - they are very similar, and my kiddos seemed a little bored.

[Trisha Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really fun storytime book because you can get the kids involved in it by having them say moo and oink, and all the variations that the cow and pig try while they learn to say the "right" sounds.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cow who oinks and a pig who moos experience discrimination from the other farmyard animals and help each other learn their animal-specific sound.

This story shows in a way easily accessible to children how it feels to be teased for having a speech disorder.

[Matrie Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about the friendship of a cow and pig who teach each other their languages. This book demonstrates the value of learning new things and persevering when those around you make fun of you. It encourages children to embrace differences. The illustrations are simple, yet vibrant.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The animal laughs were kind of awkward to sound out but Colin enjoyed it.

[Casandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly good fun!

[Milton Louie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helping one another. B

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of the illustration style, but the simple text and nice message get 3 stars.

[Cassidy Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provides a lesson that it is okay to be different, and that being different can make you special.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and cute; I can’t wait to read it aloud with my class to show off the bilingual animals (& to see characters continuing to try and not give up!).

[Linda Hartlaub · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming book about being different and friendship.

[Cheddar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because reading this to my 3 year old daughter made her laugh so hard, I'll always love this book.

[Loni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! My son and I both laughed till we cried.

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sounding out the nonsense sounds is great practice.

[Bibliobobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute!

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cow That Went OINK (Paperback)
by Bernard Most
A story found in third grade classroom. This book shows that acceptance and sharing your knowledge can change our perception of the world.

[Lyla Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to read every quack-ha and oink-ha or it doesn’t count

[Anna Piesyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute, quick, dialogue-full story with an amazing message. This would be great for kindergarten or first grade students learning about how to interact with each other and learn how to treat each other with kindness and respect. Books are great ways to relate that onto the student. The message is that you shouldn’t judge others for being different, you can actually learn from each other and support one another. This could honestly be read in 2/3 if wanting to encourage those themes while reading aloud. The font is large and includes dialogue bubbles for the children to possibly act out for fun.