Product Description

"With simple language, predictable rhythms and repetition, and flawless pacing, [Root’s] story begs to be read aloud. . . . Hillenbrand’s immense attention to detail is gratifying" - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)



When a very curious little girl meets a cow named Luella who is even
more stubborn than she is, who will be the first to back down? Phyllis
Root’s spirited tall tale finds a family of countless hungry children -
and a magic cow who demands a kiss on the nose to keep the sweet
milk flowing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #114151 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-01
• Released on: 2003-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Amazon.com Review
Never. Not a chance. Annalisa wouldn't dream of kissing Luella the cow, even though her mother kisses her every day after singing her a song and milking her. Still, inquisitive Annalisa is awfully interested in milking Luella, and one day she sneaks off and does everything just the way her mother does--all except for the kiss on the nose. The next day, Luella refuses to give any milk. And the day after that is the same. Annalisa's mother and her many brothers and sisters beg the stubborn little girl to relent, but Annalisa says "Never!... Never, never, never." Will the whole family have to live without milk and cheese forever? Or will Annalisa's innate curiosity get the best of her?

Both Phyllis Root and Will Hillenbrand claim to have tried to kiss cows while working on this story, but to no avail. "I was willing," Hillenbrand says, "but the cow wasn't." With red-haired Annalisa's little nose in the air throughout the story, readers will almost hear her cries of "never," and will surely identify with one whose feelings of absolute certainty can occasionally change. (Ages 4 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
Mama May has "so many children she couldn't count them all." Annalisa, the most curious and stubborn of the bunch, is never too far from Mama May's side. The red-headed pony-tailed girl observes how Mama May coaxes daily buckets of milk from Luella the cow using soothing words and, to Annalisa's disgust, a kiss on the nose. Eager to learn if she, too, can yield milk from Luella, Annalisa imitates Mama May to the letterDuntil it's time to pucker up. Annalisa's refusal to deliver a bovine buss causes chaosDLuella won't provide any milk and that means lots of "hungry, crying children." Root's (Aunt Nancy and Old Man Trouble) original comic folktale clips along at a jaunty read-aloud pace, befitting the eccentric Mama May and her boisterous brood. Hillenbrand (Down by the Station; The House That Drac Built) obviously delights in depicting the extensive family's full-to-bursting life in his sunny mixed-media paintings. Mama May's "house" is a ramshackle collection of small buildings and add-ons that stretches across a full spread (or as Root describes, "as wide as the prairie"). But best of all are the matriarch's sweet countenance and her passel of childrenDa virtual United Nations of race and nationality, all clad in denim overalls. Youngsters will be rooting right along with them for Annalisa to kiss the cow and save the day. Ages 4-8. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-Annalisa is the most curious and most stubborn of Mama May's brood, a lively group of siblings too numerous to count. Daily, she watches her mother go off to the pasture to milk a magic cow, and each time she feels disgusted when her mother kisses the animal on the nose in thanks. The child wonders what it must be like to milk a magic cow and one day she sets out to find out. She milks Luella, but refuses to kiss her, resulting in dire consequences. The cow will give no more milk; the children go hungry. Mama May pleads with Annalisa to complete the ritual, but the girl adamantly refuses. Finally, her curiosity gets the better of her and she breaks down and puckers up. All ends well with the contented cow giving milk once again. This lighthearted tale is accompanied by colorful cartoonlike illustrations. A good discussion starter on curiosity and its consequences, it also provides an example of a stubborn character backing down. Flowing language makes it a fun read-aloud.
Anne Knickerbocker, Cedar Brook Elementary School, Houston, TX
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Pucker Up.....
"Mama May lived where the earth met the sky, and her house was as wide as the prairie. It needed to be. Mama May had so many children she couldn't count them all. Among Mama May's children was one called Annalisa. She wasn't the youngest, and she wasn't the oldest, but she was the most curious and the most stubborn..." Every morning Annalisa watched as Mama May milked their cow, Luella. First she sang her magic greeting song, and Luella gave Mama all the milk she needed for her many, many children. Then she sang her thank you song, and last, but not least, she gave Luella a kiss "right on the end of her velvety, brown nose." "Ughhh!" said Annalisa. "Imagine kissing a cow!" Annalisa watch the milking day in and day out, and wondered what it would be like. Finally she just had to find out for herself. She took her pail from the sandbox and ran down to the pasture. First she sang the greeting song, and Luella filled her pail with warm, sweet milk. Then she sang the thank you song. But when it was time to kiss the cow, Annalisa absolutely would not. The next day, when Mama May came to milk the cow, Luella was dry. No matter how much she sang and kissed, there was no milk for Mama May's children..... Phyllis Root's warm and engaging text is filled with wit and energy, and begs to be read aloud and shared. Will Hillenbrand's bright, expressive, and entertaining illustrations are filled with humor and playful, eye-catching detail. Together, word and art offer a preschool crowd-please that's sure to charm both young and old alike. With its happily-ever-after ending to set everything right once again, Kiss The Cow is a winner!

very cute
This is a delightful new addition to my children's library. The illustrations are wonderfully fresh. The language is not too lengthy or involved, yet contains some wonderful descriptive references. For example, unless you are familiar with a dairy, you probably don't know that fresh cheese squeeks between your teeth. This is a book my two toddlers want to see again and again, and I can hardly wait to share it with my kindergarten class.

Sweet book with a lesson
"Kiss the Cow" has become a favorite of my 2-year-old after a recent visit to my parent's house in VA. While there, we saw cows "up close and personal", although we did not kiss any! In this book, Annalisa is one of Mama May's many children; the most curious and most stubborn. After disobeying her mother, Annalisa milks Luella, the "magic" cow. She does not kiss her afterward, however, as is required to ensure future milk production. What happens next is a lesson in learning the consequences of your actions, without being preachy. Luella will not give milk again until Annalisa kisses her, which eventually happens after much cajoling by the children and Mama May. Phyllis Root's book "What Baby Wants" is cute, too.