The Cow Said BOO!

by Lana Button, Alice Carter (Illustrator)

Parents Magazine Parents® Approved! A stuffed-up cow, a rogue bedsheet, and a chant-able silly refrain. A quintessential read-aloud for a lively story time, now available in board book format. Poor cow woke up with such a bad cold that every “moo” comes out as “boo!” When she stumbles into a sheet hanging from the clothesline, her barnyard friends mistake her for a spooky ghost and run away. But the cow is able to bravely turn this misunderstanding to her advantage when a truly scary intruder arrives at the farm… In The Cow Said BOO! , author Lana Button delivers a silly read-aloud for a not-so-spooky Halloween, or any time of year. Written in playful rhyme that will shine at an interactive story time, the text includes a repeated refrain that will have listeners chiming in with many an exuberant, “The cow said, BOO!” Watercolor illustrations by Alice Carter catch both the eye and the heart with their humor and energy. Closing scenes of the animal friends nursing the cow back to health bring a tender lull to the riotous story time—until a final twist dissolves the peace in giggles once again. Don’t miss the closing spread with illustrated hand- (and paw!) washing instructions for chasing away colds. “Button’s rhyming text hits at just the right pace, encouraging participation from little readers. Kids will love being in on the joke that the cow isn’t really a ghost…An infectious seasonal read-aloud.”— Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Picture Books, Halloween, Humor, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Friendship

26 pages, Board Book

Published September 13, 2022

About the author

Lana Button is an award-winning children's author of several picture books as well as a presenter and early childhood educator. The New York Times describes Lana's book TOUGH LIKE MUM (Tundra, 2021) as a "tender tale that imparts that asking for help shows toughness too." Kirkus says the book is "powerful in its vulnerability."
Lana's super fun read-aloud THE COW SAID BOO! (Pajama Press, 2021) is described by Kirkus as "an infectious seasonal read-aloud."
Her first book, WILLOW'S WHISPERS (Kids Can Press, 2010) was described by Kirkus as "A victory for any reader who struggles to be heard, even metaphorically"
Lana strives to support, inspire and entertain her young readers. The Globe and Mail said, "It's easy to forget that my kids think their problems are as massive as I think my own are. Button never does. To her enormous credit, she's written a book that speaks directly to their experience."
When Lana isn't writing for young children, she can often be found presenting messages of empathy, resilience and understanding to children through virtual and in-person author visits. She believes that now, more than ever, we can all use a little more story time!

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will make a fun read aloud in Storytime with audience participation.

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“One day the cow had such a cold that when she tried to “MOO,” her nose was super stuffy and the the cow said, ”BOOOOOOO”. Canadian author Lana Button and Canadian illustrator Alice Carter team up together to bring readers the funny and sweet picture book The Cow Said BOO!. Have you ever had a cold that so congested your poor nose and sinuses that your ‘m’s’ came out as ‘b’s’’? Well, when The Cow Said BOO! begins, readers learn that poor cow is struggling with a pretty bad cold. When they try to say ‘moo’ it comes out as a ‘BOO!’- which is actually pretty darn adorable and funny!- but for the other animal in her barnyard, the BOOs are not going over so well…especially after cow accidentally trips into a clothesline and gets herself trapped under a bedsheet! “‘Awk! the rooster crowed. What do we cock-a-doodle-do?” They thought the farm was haunted when the cow said, ”BOO!”. Mistaken for a boo-ing scary ghost, cow finds herself left out in the literal cold, only to come to the rescue of her barnyard friends in a moment of danger. One extra last-moment reveal (which I not spoil here!) adds an even more delightful layer to the story. The Cow Said BOO! is energetic and fun, with a delightful refrain (perfect for chanting), the bustling, sweet illustrations that make the picture book terrific read aloud material. Perfect for Halloween or seasonal fall reading, or for readers looking for a giggly, endearing and rhyming story, The Cow Said BOO! is a delight. Endpapers at the book’s end includes an adorably illustrated spread on how to ”scare away colds” with five steps for washing ”your hooves and paws” to sparkly clean and dry.

I received a copy of this title courtesy of Pajama Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.

[Storytime With Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when the cow catches a cold? You can find out in Lana Button’s new picture book, The Cow Said Boo! illustrated by Alice Carter.

The poor old cow on the farm has caught a cold and instead of saying “Moo”, she can only say “Boo” which makes him quite sad. However, her boo may come in handy when a sneaky fox gets into the farmyard one night.

The Cow Said Boo is a delightfully perfect fall story. It has a lovely rhyme to it that rolls right off your tongue. To me the best rhyming stories are ones you can just pick up and catch the beat right from the first page. Also, there is some excellent repetition throughout the story in the line, “the cow said Boo!” making it perfect for a read aloud. You can get your listeners to help you with that part of the story and even say the Boo part, which in my experience children LOVE to do. Another excellent thing about this rhyming tale is that after children have heard the story a few times, they will be able to retell it. If you are a teacher having a retelling station featuring this book would be amazing and so fun for your little readers!

Alice Carter’s illustrations are lively and colourful and very very funny. Children will love seeing the animals' expressions when they think the cow is a ghost in the farmyard. Also, there is a lot of Halloween imagery making it a fantastic, non-scary story to share at Halloween time. Also, the illustrations are nice and bold, meaning if you are sharing the story with a group, the illustrations will be highly visible.

Lana Button has masterfully created a funny, fall story perfect for our youngest readers. Preschoolers will LOVE this story and teachers and ECEs will have a blast reading it.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor cow! She has a cold - so instead of saying "Moo!" she says "Boo!". How can she convince her barnyard friends that she is not a ghost? Or trying to scare them?
Also - a good reminder of the importance of keeping our germs to ourselves, if possible.

Kids will enjoy the mayhem created by the misunderstanding.
Another similar book is "Bob, Not Bob!" by Elizabeth Garton Scanlon. It would make a fun read-along, especially if you have a little one with a stuffy nose.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cow with a cold becomes a hero, sort of.

[Olivia]

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/the-co...

THE COW SAID BOO! is a cute story about a cow with a cold. The cow wants to say hello to her friends, but with her cold, she says Boo! The cold also makes her a little clumsy, and she runs into a clothesline, picking up a sheet. She scares the other animals on the farm without meaning to. When everyone else is asleep, the cow spots a fox sneaking onto the farm, and she uses her cold to say boo and scare it away. The other animals say she is a hero and they help nurse her back to help - but then they all get a cold.

What I loved: This was an overall silly story that children will giggle at. Readers who have had a cold before will understand the way that it changes the way you talk. The text has a good rhythm that reads very smoothly. The colorful illustrations add to the fun of the light-hearted story.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, the cow only gets help from friends after she is a hero, and this seemed a bit strange. Also, the fox was not totally clear as an enemy to all these farm animals, but I guess it remains pretty nonthreatening.

Final verdict: Silly and cute, THE COW SAID BOO! is a light-hearted picture book with Halloween flair.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfect choice for a read aloud, this board book features a cow suffering with a bad cold and lots of congestion, some confusion caused by a flapping sheet, and an unlikely act of heroism. The colorful artwork, the silliness of the misunderstanding, and the fun-to-say words make it work well with youngsters, who surely have experienced their own share of colds that transform their words into something else entirely--and maybe a fright or two. The inclusion of a page featuring five farm animals in addition to the cow expressing themselves even though they now have colds too adds to the pleasures of reading this one. Plus, there are two pages offering five steps to "scare away colds" in the back matter. This title will prompt giggles as youngsters consider the closeness of words such as "moo" and "boo," and think about how they themselves sound when their noses are all stuffed up.

[Ashlyn Ewert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute book about a cow who has a cold and every time she tried to say moo, it would come out boo. This would be a good book to read to children around Halloween. I think that this book would also be good to teach children about germs because at the end all the cows friends end up with a cold. I also thought it was cute how on the last page of the book it gives the steps for washing your hands.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect not-scary-at-all Halloween book about a "ghost" who says Boo.

The "ghost" is a cow with a cold who says "boo" instead of "moo".

Rhyming text. At the end, her friends nurse her back to health and then they're all sick. End papers have info on washing hands to help prevent the spread of germs.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Cow has a terrible cold. Every time she tries to moo it comes out her stuffy nose as “Boo!” After crashing into the clothesline, her friends don’t recognize her - they think she’s a ghost! More miserable than ever, Cow wanders off, but returns when she spots the perfect opportunity to turn her sorry situation around. Final spread shows how we can all keep colds away.

[Binxie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
A fun addition to Halloween themed books. Poor cow has a cold and can only say "Boo"! The illustrations are cute, but not big enough for a crowd to see. The rhyming text and familiar farm yard animals will make this a hit though. Audience participation is an option. Will revisit when planning Fall 2023.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, another picture book just came out with almost an identical title--weird! A cow with a cold scares a bunch of other farm animals and also a fox. Definitely will check out for Halloween even though it's not full of monsters!

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A silly story about a sick cow who keeps his farm friends safe by saying "Boo!" to a sneaky fox. Would be great fun in a storytime for littles!

Themes: Halloween, humor, animals on the farm, being sick, stories that rhyme
Ages: toddler-K
Pub year: 2021

[Diana Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute picture book that I will definitely read in storytime this fall. It doesn't have to be Halloween-focused, but the illustrations are all very 'fall', so I am going to wait a bit on this one.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much of a story, but kids will have a great time shouting “boo” every time the sickly cow sneezes during story time. Silly illustrations of the barnyard animals add to the fun. End pages include proper handwashing instructions for remaining healthy during cold-and-flu season.

[Y.Poston]

very cute!

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cow catches a cold and a fox.

[Madison LibraryBookFamily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly cow catches a cold and terrorizes her friends by saying, “Boo” instead of “Moo.” Silly instead of spooky, this book lightly covers fall decorations, silly mistakes, and being sick.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might work for storytime. I liked how it began better than how it ended. The way the animals sound with a cold is by far the best part of the story.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously had the case of the chuckles at that ending! The COW said BOO! is hysterical #kidlit that would pair perfectly with one of my forever-faves Bob, Not Bob! Love COW’s endpapers, too!

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read a loud for halloween.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS A PERFECT STORY TIME. And the Cow said *throws to audience* “BOOOOO”

I love it through and through.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story 3.5
Illustrations 4

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect for cough and cold season

[Andrés · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely for older preschoolers to get the joke about the cold. Probably will get some giggles out of the funny animal noises.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun run scheme with surprising twists. Children should enjoy.

[Rachel Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few pages in the bebe sat and paid attention. He liked it towards the end. Cute book.

[Audrey | WellReadandUndead(ish) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel for cow. I’m sick right now too. Though I’m not saying “boo” instead of “moo.” More like “ughhhhh” instead of “moo.” In all seriousness, the book was funny with cow accidentally scaring all his friends. I love that he also ends up saving the day too.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a farm animal story attempting to teach a health concept to humans.
The two back end papers are illustrated to teach you to scare away colds.
Not a title I recommend.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cow with a cold who says " boo" and what happens when he scares the other farm animals.