Sailor Moo: Cow at Sea
Most dairy cows are content to stand and graze and chew. But not Moo.  She forsakes her life of "waving wheat" for ocean waves in Lisa Wheeler and  Ponder Goembel's witty and wonderful rhyming picture bookSailor Moo: Cow at  Sea. Children will be immediately swept up in the story of a cow who seeks  bluer pastures and hoofs it to the bay: "Yo-ho-ho / And a shiver-me-be / Whoever  heard of a cow at sea?" The feline crew of a fishing boat agrees to take Moo on  board if she will pay her way in fresh milk. It's a deal: "Moo loved the way the  ocean sang. / 'Like moo-sic,' she would utter, / as rocking, rolling ocean waves  / would churn her milk to butter." Once aboard, she befriends her sea cousins,  the manatees, which turns out to be fortuitous--when she's thrown overboard in a  "sudden, savage gale," they come to her rescue. But, what's this? The  goggle-sporting sea cows take her to a crusty cattle barge of pirates led by Red  Angus! Moo is dismayed: "Moo's heart was pure, so she was sure / it must be a  mistake. / Looting steers? Cow buccaneers? / She felt her stomachs ache...." But  when Red Angus gazes into Moo's eyes, his heart warms and his rough edges  smooth: "In Moo he'd seen his dairy queen / and now he must reform." Adventure,  romance, and darn-good storytelling combine with perfect meter, delightful puns  (milk it, Lisa!), and fantastically lively, artful, and expressive illustrations  to make this one of our favorite picture books of the year. Highly recommended.  (Ages 3 to 7)--Karin Snelson