The Little Calf that Couldn’t Moo
By Iris Hiskey (1992)

I liked The Little Calf that Couldn’t Moo by Iris Hiskey for three reasons. First, I liked the introduction of animals and the sounds they make. For beginner readers this is beneficial because they learn to identify an animal by its sound. Second, I liked the introduction of basic numbers; for example, the five chickens, the four ducks, the three pigs, and so on. Positively, the numbers were shown in the photos; the photo on the first page had five chickens, and four ducks. Therefore, the child sees the number in the text, but can also count the actual objects in the photos. Lastly, I liked Iris Hiskey’s ability to demonstrate the theme that differences are not bad; for instance, cows are supposed to “moo,” but the baby cow or calf says, “ma”; the calf is different from the norm, but the Mama cow and farmer embrace his dissimilarity. Overall, the “big idea” of The Little Calf that Couldn’t Moo is to suggest that differences are acceptable, and that differences should not be denied, yet valued. ( )