Early Readers: Cow says meow by Kirsti Call, illustrated by Brandon James Scott

  This is a funny, interesting, weird little book. Die cut holes on the cover put the pupils in the titular cow's eyes, while their repetition on the back shows a wide-eyed cat saying "Mooo." The book itself is a typical early reader rectangle, slightly wider perhaps, but the text feels more like a picture book.

Each spread shows a little boy with dark brown skin and black hair on a white background on the left and a wide-eyed animal on the right. Small, white text says "Cow says..." or any other animal. Turn the page and the cow says meow, while the little boy responds, and a new animal is pictured on the right. The boy uses wordplay in his response to each animal; He tells the cow it's a "copycat" and the next animal is a cat. He tells the bear "Ewe must be confused" and the next animal is a sheep.

It's funny, the pictures are intriguing and well-designed graphics, but is it a picture book or an early reader? Children listening to the story may not pick up all the wordplay, but the small, light font isn't ideal for beginning readers. More intermediate readers, however, may turn down the book due to the brief text and younger storyline.

Verdict: I think this one will probably work on two levels; with very young children who will find the "wrong" sounds funny and for older kids who will pick up the wordplay. I'd put it in the early readers but recommend it as a read-aloud as well.

ISBN: 9780358423348; Published March 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library