Kirkus Reviews

Most picture-book war stories are long on history but short on humor—until now. When a young man enlists in the Union Army, he's annoyed, embarrassed and frustrated when his cow persists in following him into battle. "That dadblamed cow! When I went to join the Union army, she did not stay home like a regular cow but followed me down to the enlistment office." She's persnickety about eating unstomped grass; swats flies off the soldiers' heads with her tail; provides body heat on frosty nights and milk when food is scarce. When the soldier is hit with a musket ball, his cow helps nurse him back to health. When the war is over, a newspaper reporter takes her photo and folks come from miles around to scratch between her horns and admire the cow that's been awarded a medal by the Captain for "brave and unusual service to country." An author's note explains that the story is true, based on newspaper reports from the Civil War. It's the telling in the soldier's voice that engages the reader and captures just the right tone without caricaturizing or sensationalizing. Root's droll style perfectly portrays the story with homespun flavor and military-bluedominant illustrations that express human and bovine characteristics. (Picture book/historical fiction. 5-8)

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

Inspired by the true story of a “celebrated cow” that traveled with the Fifty-Ninth Regiment of Indiana Volunteers during the Civil War (a sprightly endnote supplies the details), Fletcher (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Shadow Spinner) and Root (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Don’t Forget Winona) weave first-class fiction. In their version, the cow belongs to a rank-and-file soldier who thinks he’s left the farm behind. But “that dadblamed cow” just can’t say goodbye. She follows him right onto the train and charms his captain (those big, sad cow eyes are mighty irresistible). And “When the bullets went whistlin’ past our ears, she got spooked and bolted—around a clump of cannon, through a bramble patch, over a hill, and right smack-dab into a pack of horse dragoons,” says the narrator. “ 'You’re a dadblamed <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">dangerous cow,’ I said.” But if the soldier never stops calling her “dadblamed” he soon values her company: she offers warmth, milk and a reminder of home when the going gets rough. Root’s pencil and watercolor drawings vividly render the Civil War landscape, from the bedraggled encampments to the pitch of a battle. She doesn’t anthropomorphize her bovine heroine, and yet there’s something special about the unnamed cow—she seems as much called to help the soldiers as Clara Barton herself. A terrific read-aloud, and a marvelous approach to history. Ages 5-7. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(July)

ALA Booklist (Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2007)

From the soulful-eyed bovine on the front cover to the cowhide endpapers, Fletcher and Root celebrate the true story of a cow who accompanied her owner to the Civil War, providing much needed nourishment (in milk) and comfort. Fletcher, known for her books for older readers, strikes exactly the right note here for a younger audience, not easy in a work  that must address war and death. The simple, country-tinged, first-person narrative flows easily, and Root's pencil-and-watercolor illustrations convey the confusion and pain of battle while tempering grim reality with the comic relief of the ever-present cow. Two refrains run through the text: "dadblamed cow" and moo, and children will enjoy this repetitive device. Fletcher's well-constructed text makes this an excellent title to read aloud, and the book's large, detailed illustrations will work well in group settings.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-5-In a spirited, folksy narration that reads like free verse, an unnamed Union soldier relates the story of a "dadblamed cow" that accompanies him and other Indiana Volunteers during many battles and skirmishes of the Civil War. At the recruiting station, on the train, at campsites and in the midst of battle, she marches "step by step/all the way South./Clop two three four,/Clop two three four./Dadblamed, footsore cow!" An author's note provides documentation that such a cow existed, although Fletcher admits to taking "liberties with history." The pencil-and-watercolor illustrations are slightly naive and provide an appropriate and appealing visual interpretation of this comic story. Throughout, the author uses clever verbal twists to describe the animal, from "dadblamed persnickety cow" (she'll only eat "unstomped grass"), to "dadblamed heavy cow" (she has to be pulled out of the mud), and "dadblamed dangerous cow" (she runs into a pack of "horse dragoons"), and, finally, to a "dadblamed hero" (she receives a medal). A delightful read.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.