School Library Journal Starred Review (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2006)

PreS-Gr 1 A cow wakes up to find that she has lost her moo and is clucking instead. She visits various creatures throughout the countryside, clucking at them and getting answers in their natural sounds. 'Cluck, cluck, said Cow. 'Meow, said Cat. 'It is not you who has my moo, said Cow. And on she went. The repetitive refrain, It is not you who has my moo, has a sonorous charm and invites participation. Some readers will quickly realize that if Cow is clucking, she should go directly to Hen to find her moo. The Greek chorus of yellow chicks (who apparently follow Cow because she sounds like their mother) might be another wink to readers. When Cow at last finds Hen mooing, the two animals trade sounds and the chickssilent up to this pointimmediately find their own voice: peep. The gentle inside jokes, the animal sounds, and the repetitive phrase constitute only a fraction of this books appeal. Fleming is, after all, a thrilling illustrator whose pulp-painting technique brings subtlety and texture to densely colored art. Here, she creates a countryside inspired by Van Gogh, and the net result is some of her most sensational artwork to date. The layers of subtle humor and visual splendor are truly impressive. Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

ALA Booklist (Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2006)

When Cow awakens one morning to find herself making a cluck instead of a moo, she begins a quest for her lost sound. She talks with Dog, Bee, Cat, Fish, Duck, Goat, Mouse, Snake, Squirrel, and Owl, but each animal makes its proper sound. Only when she returns to the barn and greets Hen with a Cluck, cluck does she hear the Moo, moo she has been missing. Their exchange of greetings makes the magical switch she has been longing for, and the happy Cow lets out a bellowing Mooo. Fleming illustrates the story using her signature technique of pulp painting, in which the finished art is created as an integral part of the paper-making process. The large, deeply hued, double-page compositions feature the determined cow surrounded by a winning cast. Evidently inspired by Van Gogh's Starry Night, the endpapers add a distinctive beginning and ending to this pleasing picture book, which offers opportunities for children to chime in with farm animal sounds and to predict the story's outcome.

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2000)

Four stories span three seasons, feature two sheep, and illuminate one great friendship. Blanche and Otis rake leaves in the fall, and after a storm topples Otis's tree, Blanche gives him a baby pine tree for Christmas and presents him with lawn chairs made from his old tree. Caple's soft illustrations depict the changing seasons and emphasize the quiet mood of the episodic plot.

Kirkus Reviews

When Cow wakes up one morning, she finds that she cannot moo: She clucks, instead. Off she goes on a barnyard quest to find her moo, asking in turn Dog, Bee, Cat, Fish and so on throughout the day, until she finds Hen mooing back in the barn. The simple tale is perfect for preschoolers, with its easy (but never boring) predictability and Cow's plaintive refrain: "It is not you who has my moo." Easy animal sounds—meow, quack, squeak—share space with less familiar ones—chee (squirrel), glub (fish), maa (goat)—mixing in such a way as to both bolster kids' confidence and challenge them gently. The illustrations are vintage Fleming, Van Gogh-inspired endpapers framing the jewel-toned daytime action, all done in her distinctive pulp-painting technique. Three little chicks, obviously as confused as Cow is, follow her as she clucks through the barnyard in a silent, humorous subplot, to be happily reunited with Hen by firefly light. The trope of mixed-up animal languages is hardly new, but this offering is a sweet addition to the genre. (Picture book. 3-6)

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

Fleming's (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Barnyard Banter) signature cotton fiber illustrations are as sumptuous as ever in this tale of a farmyard mix-up. For reasons not revealed, Cow wakes up "to find she had lost her moo." But who has her moo? None of the usual suspects pans out—although Cow's quest gives readers the opportunity to make a number of crowd-pleasing sounds, plus Cow's catchy refrain: "It is not you who has my moo." Not until the end of a disappointing day does Cow discover that one of the chickens sounds distinctly unchicken-y. "Hen!" Cow shouts. "It is <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">you who has my <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">moo!" Sounds are mysteriously exchanged and order is restored under starry rural skies. Rich, unusual textures and luxuriant colors, long Fleming's hallmark, here combine in a way that makes every composition feel positively indulgent. Cow, rendered in chocolate brown accented in electric red and ultramarine, seems like a celebration of all things bovine; even the tiny yellow birds and skinny green snake take on a luminous presence, as if put on the page to remind the audience of just how wonderful the world is. Will readers be frustrated by the lack of explanation for the story's premise and conclusion? Perhaps—then again, these pages could be seen as a gorgeous launching pad for a question every youngster savors answering: "What do you think happened?" Ages 4-8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Aug.)