Click, Clack, Moo, Cows That Type (1977)

Scholastic has enticingly adapted for DVD the first two stories from my favorite children's storybook trilogy, written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (a Caldecott Honor Book) is the leading animated story with a downhome musical accompaniment and narration by Randy Travis. To paraphrase the story itself: "Cows that type? Hens on strike? How can Farmer Brown run a farm with no milk and no eggs?" Not only is this book affectionate and humorous but it's a pint-sized introduction to the essentials of capitalism and labor unions. 5 stars. Another delightful story written by Trinka Hakes Noble and illustrated by Steven Kellogg, The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash relates a daughter's school field trip in Rube Goldberg fashion with everything that ought to happen at a farm getting turned on its ear. 4.5 stars. Written and illustrated by Helme Heine, The Pigs' Wedding gives us a parade of porcine puckishness as pigs paint themselves fashionably to celebrate Porker and Curleytail's wedding. 3 stars. Nicely written by Phyllis Krasilovsky and illustrated by Peter Spier, The Cow Who Fell in the Canal tells how Hendrika the Dutch cow took an adventure into town. (I'm almost certain I read this book when I was young.) 4 stars. Finally, written and illustrated by Tomie de Paola, Charlie Needs a Cloak shows how a shepherd shears, cards, spins, dyes, and weaves wool to make a colorful new cloak. 3.5 stars. The disc includes a Spanish version of Click, Clack, Moo and runs 52 min. Overall 4 stars.