Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type is a 2000 children's book written by Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin, the Simon & Schuster book tells the story of Farmer Brown's cows, who find an old typewriter in the barn and proceed to write letters to Farmer Brown, making various demands and then going on strike when they aren't met.
 Front cover, designed by Betsy Lewin | |
| Author | Doreen Cronin |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Betsy Lewin |
| Language | English |
| Genre | picture book, children's literature |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
Publication date | 2000 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 32 |
| ISBN | 978-0-689-83213-0 |
| OCLC | 41130977 |
| [E] 21 | |
| LC Class | PZ7.C88135 Cl 2000 |
| Preceded by | N/A |
| Followed by | Giggle, Giggle, Quack |
A book and CD edition was also released, with the CD being narrated by Rik Mayall. The CD features three tracks; tracks one and three featuring the story being read with background music and sound effect track, and track two being solely the story without added audio.
Plot
editFarmer Brown begins to hear typing sounds coming from his barn. He discovers that his cows have found an old typewriter in the barn and are using it to type letters requesting things from Farmer Brown, such as electric blankets to keep them warm at night. Farmer Brown refuses, and the cows withhold their milk until they get what they ask for. Soon, the cows type a similar letter on behalf of the hens also asking for blankets, which Farmer Brown refuses to provide. The hens join the cows and refuse to lay eggs.
Farmer Brown realizes this makes it impossible to run a farm. In an attempt to re-establish order, he sends a letter back to the cows and hens on his own typewriter and tells them they do not need the blankets and that their job is to produce milk and eggs. The cows hold an emergency meeting in which they come to a resolution. They promise the farmer that if he gives them the blankets, they will give him their typewriter. A neutral duck agrees to deliver the typewriter once the cows and hens have the blankets.
Farmer Brown decides the deal is fair, so he leaves the electric blankets for the cows and waits for the duck to deliver the typewriter. Instead of delivering the typewriter, the ducks send him a letter which states that their pond is boring, and they would like a diving board, which they get.
Reception
editClick, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type is a 2001 Caldecott Honor book.[1] Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association included it on a list of "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children",[2] and it was listed as one of the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal.[3]
Adaptations
editIn 2001, Weston Woods Studios adapted the book to an animated movie narrated by Randy Travis and animation by MaGik Studios.
There have been two animated Christmas specials based on the book series, namely Click, Clack, Ho! Ho! Ho! (November 2016) and Click, Clack, Moo: Christmas at the Farm (November 28, 2017).[4]
Click Clack Moosic, a series of musical story time events with music by Phil Popham, was commissioned by the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra in 2014.[5]
A Click, Clack, Moo musical was created by Billy Aronson, Kevin Del Aguila, and Brad Alexander for TheatreWorksUSA.[6]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Randolph Caldecott Medal". American Library Association. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
- ^ "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". National Education Association. 2007. Archived from the original on July 30, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ Bird, Betsy (July 6, 2012). "Top 100 Picture Books Poll Results". A Fuse #8 Production. School Library Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
- ^ Crump, William D. (March 11, 2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland. p. 73. ISBN 9781476672939.
- ^ "Click Clack Moosic". West Michigan Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
- ^ "Click, Clack, Moo". TheaterWorksUSA. Retrieved September 27, 2024.