A classic horror movie gone pastoral? Not to worry; no flesh-eating zombies here. It's just cows Minnie and Moo facing Halloween. Minnie has a horrible dream (a giant mouse consumes the last bit of chocolate in the world), lurching awake only to find the bed she shares with Moo rolling down the hill. But bed is forgotten in favor of chocolate, with bovines, in their pajamas, setting out to save the world (and especially Minnie) from chocolate deficiency by trick-or-treating. Eventually, everything is put to rights, but not before some typically goofy action on the part of those irrepressible cows. This isn't quite as funny or as strongly plotted as some of the duo's previous books in the I Can Read series, but there are still some funny exchanges that new readers will easily pick up on. Large type and lots of art that breaks up the words will help as well.

Cow Minnie leads all the farm animals through her own version of trick-or-treat. She rings doorbells, performs a trick, and gets some candy. She also manages to slip in a "Who's on first" routine along the way. "'What's your name, kid?' 'Moo,' said Moo. 'I know cows go moo,' said the man. 'But what's your name?'" Cazet's illustrations add visual humor to the cows' deadpan delivery.

Cazet releases the breaks in this latest installment of early-reading tomfoolery. It's Halloween and Minnie the cow is having a bad dream: A giant mouse is eating the last piece of chocolate in the world. She tosses and turns and starts hammering on Moo, the bull with whom she shares the bed, a bed that starts rolling down the hill from its perch under a meadow tree, gathering farm animals as it speeds through the barnyard, and coming to rest in town. To soothe Minnie's chocolate angst, the animals go door to door, performing tricks to get treats, until Minnie corners enough chocolate to rest assured. There are good and loopy side events throughout the story and Cazet keeps the language droll and dry. When the sheep accidentally get wet, a woman tries to identify the crew at her Halloween door: "Don't tell me!" she said. "I know! Sponges! Four cows, a pig, and two walking sponges! You children are so clever." Clever and hilarious. (Easy reader. 4-8)

K-Gr 2-After a nightmare about a giant mouse eating "the last bit of chocolate in the whole world," Minnie grabs Moo and the two silly cows fall out of bed, causing it to start to roll away. They run after it and jump on, gathering other animals on the way down the hill. They finally come to a stop in town, where Moo realizes that it is Halloween night. The animals do all sorts of tricks in order to get chocolate treats, and Minnie goes home contented and ready to sleep. Fans of these two bovines will not be disappointed as they embark on this hilarious trek. Humorous color illustrations accompany the text, helping to make this holiday book a delight to read any day of the year.-Anne Knickerbocker, formerly at Cedar Brook Elementary School, Houston, TX Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.