Minnie and Moo & the Seven Wonders of the World

ANNOTATION

Two cows try to save their farm by creating seven wonders and asking the other animals for donations to see them, but there is a wondrous and frightening creature in the woods that could foil the plan.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Minnie and Moo are the best of friends. Moo has her books. Minnie has her espresso machine. Farm life is good. Almost perfect. Until Moo overhears the not-so-good news that the farmer needs money so desperately that he must sell the farm.

No! He mustn't! Not if Minnie and Moo can help it. Not if the other animals are willing to follow our heroines on a paid tour of Moo's version of the Seven Wonders of the World. Not if that thing in the woods minds its own business.

Not if...

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Though the stars of Cazet's popular beginning-reader series make a rather lumbering leap to a heftier, chapter-book format, loyal fans will no doubt willingly make the jump with them. When Moo overhears the farmer talking about selling the farm, she warns Minnie about all the things she might have to live without (cream puffs, espresso machine, hot tub and her "favorite red dress with the silver sequins and plunging neckline"). Outraged, Minnie dramatically replies, "We've got to do something.... I don't want to live like an animal!" The duo forms a plan to earn money to save the farm by leading the other farm animals on a paid tour of seven "wonders," including Minnie's "presidential bunion" (the pair insists it resembles George Washington's face). Cazet shapes some comical scenes (especially a debate debate about whether or not "thinking" is good or bad: "There is far too much thinking going on in the world and not enough doing," says Minnie; "That is a thought!" Moo retorts), yet a meandering plot and cumbersome dialogue too often cause his usually surefire humor to miss its mark. Still, the plentiful pencil illustrations serve up some droll images of this amiable cast of critters, and recent graduates to chapter books will find this entertaining, accessible fare. Ages 7-10. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Candace Deisley

Oh My! Minnie and Moo for older readers�what a treat! The two cows are up to their usual funny antics in this more sophisticated, more complicated plot. Minnie is upset with Moo for thinking again, which, she says, "leads to sleepless nights, heartache, and torpid bowels." Thinking does seem to get Moo into trouble, and when she overhears the farmer say 'sell the farm,' she believes it is her destiny to help prevent this disaster. She hatches a plot to display seven wonders of the farm, and ask for donations from the viewers. Such things as a Presidential Bunion, the Rock That Never Moves, and Big Hoof are sure to draw a crowd, and save the day. Very silly adventures follow, and a little money is collected, but it is not Minnie and Moo's farmer who is in dire financial straights; it is their neighbor, who finds the money "growing" in his garden. Wonderful pencil drawings capture the zaniness of this book. 2003, Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster, Ages 7 to 11.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-The comic cows who have endeared themselves to the beginning-reader set are back in a longer chapter book for transitional readers. Moo thinks she has overheard Mr. Farmer talk about selling the farm, and she cajoles Minnie into helping her carry out a fund-raising scheme designed to entice donations from the other animals. The bovines lead the group on a barnyard tour of their version of the Seven Wonders of the World, all cooked up by Moo. They include a bunion with George Washington's face on it; a Rock That Never Moves (but that has somehow disappeared); a UFO landing site, complete with the hubcap it left behind; Flying Long Underwear; and other unexplainable phenomena. But when Big Hoof turns out to be a real creature (Irene the rhino, escaped from the local zoo), even skeptical Elvis the rooster is almost moved to contribute. Irene reveals that it's not their own farm but the neighboring Wilkerson farm that is in danger of being sold. The zoo's "Dotty Docents" come looking for the missing animal and unwittingly save the day when they decide to give generously to the campaign to save the "Forest Octopus," thereby salvaging the farm. Loaded with silly fun, droll illustrations of varying sizes, and familiar farmyard "characters," this latest dose of bovine antics, in its expansive new format, is sure to please old friends and make new ones.-Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews