Hunting The White Cow

Hunting The White Cow

From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 3-A young farm girl is able to do what the confident adults cannot- approach and catch an elusive white cow (well, almost). Each time the menfolk set out to look for the animal, the heroine asks, " response is always the same: "No, they'd be back in a few minutes. each time, the animal leads them on a more prolonged, merrier-and messier-chase. Halperin's pale-toned pen-and-ink and watercolor pictures have an old-fashioned cast, with a rural setting in a comfortable, idyllic past. Oversized open spreads show rolling hills, with chicks and duck, sheep and cows dotting the landscape. The scene in which the cow is captured, however briefly, is imbued with the shades of twilight and take on an almost mystical quality. The text is spare and clean, accentuated with just the right amount of repetition and local color, while the illustrations fill in all of very funny, telling, and fine-lined details. A perfect tale to pore over, to speculate about, and to read aloud again and again.Trev Jones, School Library JournalCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.A child watches as more and more people join in the attempts to catch the family cow that has gotten loose, each remarking on how special the cow isFrom Publishers WeeklyThanks to a deadpan delivery and a leisurely pace, this wry tale has all the markings of a good Southern yarn. "Somewhere north of Priceville there's a white cow no one can catch," begins the narrator, who observes her father's (and various helpers') repeated attempts to bring the animal home. After each empty-handed return, the men gather on the porch, soaked or muddy or bruised, but filled with speculation about the elusive beast. Seymour's ( Pole Dog ) conversational tone and distinctive regional locutions lend the story sparkle: "We never did see the white cow again for a month, but then Ollie Jarboe called and said, 'Y'all's cow is in Horton's cornfield, eating like an old sow.' " Halperin's muted colored pencil and watercolor illustrations are invitingly cluttered: the worn overalls, cow-pie-caked boots and cheerful disarray of the farmhouse echo the relaxed mood of the text. This flavorsome collaboration simmers till the very end. Seymour and Halperin generate just enough music and mystery to encourage many re-readings. Ages 4-7.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.From Kirkus ReviewsA winning tale that begs to be shared aloud: a country-style tall-tale about the fruitless forays of the narrator's daddy-- with various helpers in ``their old, brown, crusty cow-pie boots''--to catch a peculiarly elusive cow. Each time they come back, the cow's alleged virtues mount: ```That cow is one tough dude.' `And smart,'...`She always had a pretty calf...' `And the sweetest milk you ever tasted' ''; and each time, Mama flatly punctures the claim: `' `That cow's never been milked in her life.' '' Finally, the narrator spies the cow, ropes her, but finds her immovable. When she falls asleep, Bossy again escapes. Halperin provides lovely, delicate, carefully detailed drawings, lightly touched with color and a wry, understated humor. They make a rather odd match with the laconic, earthy story, but it's a marriage of unlikes that might wear very well. (Picture book. 4-9) -- Copyright