I am the granddaughter of farmers, and my kids love all things farms. Like most children, my little ones also love making and hearing animal noises, so books that feature animal sounds are almost always a hit in my house. When recently offered the chance to review The Cow Said Neigh!: A Farm Story written by Rory Feek with illustrations by Bruno Robert in exchange for my honest opinion, I eagerly accepted the opportunity to add a new title to my home library. My infant daughter and preschooler son helped me review the book.
Author/Illustrator
Currently residing an hour south of Nashville in an 1870s farmhouse near their family-owned diner Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse, author Rory Feek is a world-class storyteller, crossing all creative mediums from music and film to books and the internet, and is The New York Times bestselling author of This Life I Live. He is know as one of the premiere songwriters, entrepreneurs, and out-of-the-box thinkers of Nashville. As a songwriter, he has written multiple number-one songs. As an artist, he is half of the Grammy-winning county music duo Joey + Rory. He and his wife, Joey Martin, toured the world and sold hundreds of thousands of records. As a filmmaker, Rory wrote and filmed the touching documentary To Joey, With Love and directed the upcoming feature-length film Josephine, an epic love story set during the declining months of the Civil War.
Currently residing in Normandy, France in which he was also born, illustrator Bruno Robert wanted to draw and play with colors from an early age. He attended the National School of Fine Arts in Caen and now does work for various publishing agencies and administrations. As he says, “While I am picturing a story, I please myself thinking up a funny and colored world with a hint of tenderness.”
Synopsis
Recommended for readers between the ages of 4 and 8 in preschool through third grade, The Cow Said Neigh!: A Farm Story tells the story of a group of animals who wish they were like other animals on the farm. The cow wants to run free like a horse, the sheep wants a snout like a pig, the dog wants to be inside like the cat. The farmer soon realizes that his farm is in chaos and decides that he has no other option but to join in. Young readers will delight in the new family favorite full of silly farm animal sounds, clever rhymes, and adorable art. The 32-page hardback book with dust jacket currently costs $12.14 on Amazon with a list price of $16.99. The board book version is available for $7.66 with a list price of $9.99.
Evaluation
“There once was a cow in a barn who could see a horse in a field who ran wild and free,” begins The Cow Said Neigh!: A Farm Story. The wacky story of a farm in chaos features rhymed text, which, as a mother and a linguist, I enjoy reading out loud because, not only is rhyme more fun to read, but rhyming words are important for language development. After I read the book to my 4-year-old son the first time, he immediately asked me to read the story aloud again. I, of course, agreed. The found the idea of animals making the wrong sounds quite hilarious. Upon my reading the story to him twice, he even proceeded to play his toy piano and sing his own song about animals making different animal noises.
In addition to the funny story, The Cow Said Neigh! offers colorful illustrations that bring the story to life. The illustration style is soft and sweet and just a tad comical. My son’s favorite pictures are of the cat saying hello and the farmer saying moo. My infant daughter also enjoys looking at the illustrations as I read the story aloud to her and her brother. We go to a lot of zoos and farms and have our own hoard of pets, so she has excitedly begun pointing at familiar animals in books. Overall, I am quite impressed with The Cow Said Neigh! and recommend the adorable picture book to all families with young children.
Final Verdict
If you are searching for a silly book to share with your young child, my kiddos and I enthusiastically recommend checking out The Cow Said Neigh!: A Farm Story written by Rory Feek with illustrations by Bruno Robert. The full-color picture book recommended for young readers between the ages of 4 and 8 tells the tale of a mixed-up group of animals who to be someone else on the farm. My 4-year-old son loves the book and immediately asked me to read the story aloud again a second time after the first reader. My infant daughter enjoys pointing at familiar animals as I read the book to her. My kiddos and I give The Cow Said Neigh! an excited thumbs up!
Purchase The Cow Said Neigh!: A Farm Story on Amazon via my affiliate link.
Image Credits
‘The Cow Said Neigh!: A Farm Story’ Book Review © 2018 Heather Johnson
Cover of ‘The Cow Said Neigh!: A Farm Story’ © 2018 Heather Johnson
Inside Pages of ‘The Cow Said Neigh!: A Farm Story’ 1 © 2018 Heather Johnson
Inside Pages of ‘The Cow Said Neigh!: A Farm Story’ 2 © 2018 Heather Johnson
Inside Pages of ‘The Cow Said Neigh!: A Farm Story’ 3 © 2018 Heather Johnson