2001 Caldecott Honor book: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

I grew up in a small, rural county in western Kentucky. In fact, the entire county does not have one traffic light. Having access to my grandparent's farm, I recall many childhood memories of trying to catch kittens in the barn, riding through the fields on a tractor, and accompanying my uncle to help feed the cattle. While reading and viewing the illustrations of the farm environment in Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, many of those special memories on my grandparent's farm came back to me.
I enjoyed reading reading this light-hearted and witty children's book. Developing a story in which farm animals go on "strike" when the farmer refuses to give them electric blankets is a very imaginative plot. I especially enjoyed the way the problem was solved- the cows and the hens acquired the electric blankets, the ducks received a diving board for the pond, and Farmer Brown was able to manage his farm with the milk and eggs that the hens and cows provided. All parties involved were satisfied! I feel the watercolor illustrations successfully added to the overall country atmosphere.
I believe one of the principal themes in this story is cooperation. I have learned that children's literature can promote themes in subtle ways. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type was actually the very first picture book that Doreen Cronin wrote. Since then, she has written similar books, such as Giggle, Giggle Quack, Farmer Brown's Barnyard, Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack, and Thump, Quack, Moo. All of these stories feature many of the same characters as in her very first book.