Cowhide-and-Seek

February 15, 2019
Bessie might not be the best cow at hide-and-seek, but she's certainly enthusiastic.One regular day on the farm, Farmer Ted starts counting his herd, but Bessie thinks it's the start of a game of "cowhide-and-seek." Her first hiding place (behind a black-and-white cat) moves; "Bessie moooved, too." Farmer Ted finishes counting his cows and realizes Bessie is missing; where is she? She's found a somewhat better place to hide, but the ice cream vendor's cart she ducks behind is, like the cat, smaller than she is. When a little boy points her out, she tries to tell him not to give her hiding place away to Farmer Ted, but he doesn't understand "Moo." She finds a truly questionable hiding place behind a soccer ball at a match, but the ref tweets his whistle at her. With each new hiding place, Farmer Ted acquires more helpers; but Bessie stays ahead of him. Can she find the perfect hiding place? Bessie's "hiding places" in Dillard's debut are so lacking in concealment that some young listeners might be confused. She is developmentally consistent with very young children, but those old enough to get the joke will have moved on past that moment. Pauwels' endearing cartoon illustrations almost make up for the confusion. Farmer Ted and most of those who help him hunt are white, but background characters are diverse.Mooove along unless you are desperate for more cow tales. (Picture book. 3-6)

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May 10, 2019

PreS-Gr 1-Cows love to play hide-and-seek, but they're not very good at finding hiding spots. In this charming picture book, Bessie, a cow with brown spots, thinks that the farmer is starting a game when he begins counting cattle. Unfortunately, everywhere she hides, people seem to spot her. As the farmer begins looking for her, more and more people join the search. Young readers will enjoy spotting Bessie in the crowd of cows with black spots, and throughout each playful scene. Bright illustrations help tell the story without overwhelming readers. VERDICT A great purchase for libraries and storytime shelves.-Brooke Newberry, Winding Rivers Library System, West Salem, WI

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2019
Preschool-K When Farmer Ted starts counting his cows, Bessie assumes he's initiating a game of hide-and-seek, and she scurries off to find a good hiding place. Bessie, who appears to be a full-grown Guernsey, needs to keep moving to better spots, as the cat she was crouching behind decides to stroll away and a swing set fails to offer sufficient camouflage. Although Farmer Ted is hopeless at spotting missing livestock, the townspeople are more perceptive, and soon a parade of people is chasing Bessie across a playground, through a soccer game, and into a marathon. Just as Farmer Ted is coming up from behind, Bessie finally finds the perfect place to hide?inside her barn. This romp is sure to delight preschoolers. Farmer Ted is endearingly clueless, Bessie's hiding choices are sufficiently ridiculous, the text glides along as Bessie moooves from place to place, and the big, bold, page-filling illustrations add humor, especially through Bessie's gleeful expressions. A great choice for story time.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)