Many reasons brought me to Moo, the choice for today’s book review:
It is national poetry month.
The book is written in verse.
The author is Sharon Creech.
It features a cow, and you may remember I am a dairy farmer’s granddaughter.
It is set in Maine where we had a delightful vacation with our youngest son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons.
As I read, I found other connections to myself at Reena’s age:
A family where Disrespectful is not a good word.
A mother with a more than necessary interest in eccentric lonely old ladies.
Parents who volunteered their children to “help” (see item above) without consulting the said children.
You may not have all those things pulling you to this book, but what if I tell you the story involves a complete change for a family – total career changes for the parents, a move from an urban home in New York City to the rural countryside in Maine, and a change of attire for Reena and her brother Luke into sturdy canvas overalls, long-sleeve denim shirts, tall black rubber boots and thick suede rubber gloves.
Sharon Creech adds a visual element as she intersperses her free verse in this delightful novel with several styles of type; various renderings of moo, mooo, mooooooooo; and concrete poems such as the following that introduces the reader to the task ahead for Reena and Luke:
If any of these appeal to you or if you just like to read a good well-told story, hurry on down to your library or local independent book store and ask them to get it for you.