COW

“It’s hard work being a cow,” writes Doyle (Baby See, Baby Do!, p. 103, etc.), tongue firmly in cheek. Oh yes, hard—struggling to a stand in the early morning, ambling into the barn morning and evening for a milking, wandering down to the stream for a drink, snoozing in the shade until the hot day fades into starry night. Doyle is plainly envious, as will be readers when they meander through these pages. Practically every hair on the velvety hides of Rinaldi’s photorealistic cows is visible—even more perceptible, though, is a sense of ponderous dignity, a slow, peaceable, relaxed participation in the seemingly timeless rhythms of a summer’s day. Readers will wonder whether it’s the farmer or his cattle (or maybe both) “pressing forward to the cool parlor at last” to escape the late afternoon heat, but that verbal ambiguity aside, children will be beguiled by this set of bovine portraits and serene, expertly painted farmscapes. (Picture book. 5-7)