ALA Booklist (Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Inspired when she sees a theater marquee, Moo Moo announces to her friend Mr. Quackers that she will be a ballerina. After donning a tutu and trying an (unsuccessful) leap in their apartment, Moo Moo crashes a ballet performance, knocks into the other dancers, and ends up in the orchestra pit. Both Moo Moo and Mr. Quackers, who has enthusiastically accompanied his friend to the theater, are evicted. Moo Moo announces that she will retire "while I'm at the top of my game," before she moves quickly to her next idea: a trapeze act with Mr. Quackers. Although large beasts dancing around on stage is not new territory, it is still good for a laugh. Additional humor comes from Moo Moo's complete cluelessness toward her lack of talent and Mr. Quacker's vast loyalty 's clear from his subtle comments that Moo Moo's fountain of ideas keeps life interesting. The uncomplicated cartoon-style illustrations and minimal text st the duo's dialogue placed neatly in bubbles ke the humor accessible to a wide range.

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Duck Mr. Quackers is skeptical about cow Moo Moo's ambition to become a ballerina. After a brief rehearsal ("It's okay. I'm a quick learner"), the odd-couple friends head to the theater for her (unauthorized and disastrous) onstage debut. With speech bubbles and sound-effects text, bright cartoon-style illustrations, and dynamic panels, this funny comics-influenced picture book will be a hit with Mo Willems fans.

Kirkus Reviews

Can a cow jeté and plié? Moo Moo the cow and Mr. Quackers the duck are two good friends. When Moo Moo decides that she wants to perform ballet on stage, Mr. Quackers is doubtful. Moo Moo does not let a few disastrous rehearsal steps stand in the way of her debut. She dances into the middle of a performance as Mr. Quackers takes his seat in the audience. Alas, and not surprisingly, this is not a successful foray, as Moo Moo sails into the rafters and crash-lands on a drum in the orchestra pit. Mr. Quackers is the sole applauder in the audience. Moo Moo is not very discouraged; bedtime finds her planning her next career move (and probable sequel) as an acrobat. Miller tells and illustrates his debut story through speech bubbles and cartoon panels using "brush and ink and digital hocus-pocus." His tutu for Moo Moo resembles cutoff overalls with a floatation device, both rendered in pale lilac. Stories of two good friends of different species abound, as do stories of wannabe ballerinas who pooh-pooh the many hours of practice, warm-up, and rehearsal that are so necessary to a performance, making this one feel superfluous. Neither too-too funny nor too-too original. (Picture book. 3-6)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Miller (Margarash) hurls readers into the world of two friends, a cow and a duck, letting his exuberant cartoons fill in details about their personalities and temperaments. -Mr. Quackers, I just had the best idea in the whole world!- shouts Moo Moo as the book opens; the cow is staring out the window at the ballet across the street, leaving little doubt about what-s on her mind. -Another one?- replies mallard Mr. Quackers, calmly pruning his bonsai. In a rapid sequence of events, Moo Moo throws together a homemade tutu, and the friends head to the theater. Her performance, which sends the young human ballerinas a-tumbling, is a show-stopper: an epic aerial spread shows Moo Moo soaring blissfully above an awestruck (and slightly nervous) crowd, before landing in a bass drum. And then it-s on to the friends- next adventure. Despite Moo Moo-s irrepressible enthusiasm, neither friend exhibits much personality in this series opener (Mr. Quackers-s incredulous -Are you for real?!- tagline is particularly flat), but there-s something appealing in the way they just do their thing, heedless of what the world (or readers) might think. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

School Library Journal (Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

PreS-Gr 2-A bovine with big dreams and a dubious duck team up in this hilarious romp about a wild idea, a terribly executed plan, and unabashed determination. When Moo Moo gets "the best idea in the whole world," Mr. Quackers stops trimming his bonsai to respond hesitantly, "Another one?" He replies, further alarmed, "Are you for real!?!" when Moo Moo saunters out in a large handmade pink tutu. Without lessons or a backward glance, the cow and the duck head to the ballet and purchase two tickets. Moo Moo goes backstage while Mr. Quackers finds a seat in the audience. Unsurprisingly, the cow causes quite a commotion, eventually landing with a smash in the orchestral pit, while the duck dutifully claps and cheers. Moo Moo decides to retire while at the top of her game and soon enough has another brilliant idea: to forgo her solo career in favor of cajoling Mr. Quackers into an acrobatic circus duo. Miller's style is a mixture of comic strip and full-page illustrations done amusingly in pastels and thick black lines. The hilarious speech bubble asides from Mr. Quackers pair perfectly with the bold illustrations to create a winning format for this tale of pluck. VERDICT A sublimely silly read-aloud for storytime and small group sharing.Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, Beavercreek, OH