The Cow That Laid an Egg

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A madcap, yet moving, story about having the courage of one's convictions, even when others doubt you, from the creator of 'Albie', Andy Cutbill, and the award-winning illustrator, Russell Ayto.

Marjorie the cow doesn't feel very special. She can't ride bicycles or do cartwheels like the other cows. But one morning, Marjorie is astonished to discover something extraordinary...

She's laid an egg!

But does the baby inside the egg really belong to Marjorie? Emotions run high in the farmyard as everyone waits to find out...

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

In this barnyard trifle, Marjorie the cow feels low because she "can't ride bicycles and do handstands like the other cows." Her pals the chickens put their heads together, and a miracle occurs. The Holstein finds a small black-and-white spotted egg in her stall and proudly takes credit for it. Paparazzi flock to the farm, yet Marjorie's fellow heifers suspect the "crafty chickens." Readers have reason to believe the cows when "a small, brown, feathery bundle" emerges-that is, until the hatchling says, "Moooo!" Cutbill (the Albie books) provides a silly surprise with this punch line, the high point in a studiously whimsical book. Ayto (The Witch's Children), working in pen-and-ink and watercolor with paper collage to match Cutbill's determined nuttiness, depicts Marjorie as a doting, bipedal type, with heavy lashes surrounding her doleful blue eyes and a flower tucked behind her ear. A few spreads show panache, as in a view of the chickens in their stacked roosts that looks like a spread of comic-book panels, but there's not much to pull kids back for seconds after the single joke has been delivered. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 2-Marjorie has no special talents like the rest of the herd, so the chickens hatch a plan. One morning, Marjorie shrieks, "I've laid an egg!" In a clever story line, the bovine endures the taunts of the suspicious cows and the support of the ever-present, silent chickens, until the egg finally hatches a chick with an astonishing "moo" voice. Cutbill's writing is spare and amusing, and Ayto's goofy, mixed-media collages are a perfect match. Featuring expressive, wide-eyed, eccentric characters, the colorful spreads picture vivid body language, spiraling lines in wide-open mouths, and naive design. This funny book, reminiscent of Dr. Seuss's Horton Hatches the Egg (Random, 1940), will delight children.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Marjorie the cow feels just plain ordinary. She wishes she could ride bicycles and do handstands like the other cows, so the cunning chickens hatch a plan to help her out. The next morning, there's an almighty commotion in the barnyard; Marjorie has laid an egg. The other cows are convinced it's a trick until Marjorie's egg cracks open and the newly hatched chick bellows   Moo.  This is a great comic take on the Ugly Duckling tale, with double-page spreads in ink, watercolor, and pencil showing comical farm creatures and humans, who are every bit as ridiculous as the animals. The fun is in the details, especially the black Holstein-like patches on Marjorie's egg.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2008 Booklist

Horn Book Review

When Marjorie the cow laments her ordinariness, the chickens come up with a plan to make her feel important. Their stunt works, though the funny and sweet ending suggests that the joke could be on the chickens. Energetic mixed-media collage illustrations on bright backgrounds are an apt match for the zany story. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Book Review

Not since Farmer Brown's cows learned how to type has there been such an entertaining uproar in the barnyard. Marjorie the Holstein feels inferior to the other cows who can do handstands and ride bicycles. Determined to raise Marge's self-esteem, the chickens conspire to plant a black-and-white egg under her, which, while raising suspicions among the cows, brings her widespread fame. Doubts are confirmed when motherly Marge hatches a tiny feathered creature. Marge, however, has the last laugh when the new hatchling, though clearly a chicken, pronounces a loud "Moo." The blend of restrained storytelling, which treats bike-riding cows as conceivable, and the extravagantly bold, outlandish cartoon-and-collage illustrations, creates a merry farmstead farce that will tickle young audiences. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.