Book: Moo

Sharon Creech is a very successful author.  I came to respect her writing more when I read a book called Love That Dog.  The unfolding of that story through a boy's responses to poetry in the classroom is enchanting.

This book, Moo, is compared to Love That Dog in that Moo is written in verse.  It is, in fact, a combination of poetry and prose.  I'm afraid, however, that's where the similarities end.  With Moo, Creech has offered a storyline for a side of life not often written or read about.  It is a story of rural America, the raising of cattle, and county fairs.  It is a story that includes what few children know about any more - the showing of lifestock.

The description of this book on the author's website is as follows:

Following one family’s momentous move from the city to rural Maine, an unexpected bond develops between twelve-year-old Reena and one very ornery cow.
When Reena, her little brother, Luke, and their parents first move to Maine, Reena doesn’t know what to expect. She’s ready for beaches, blueberries, and all the lobster she can eat. Instead, her parents “volunteer” Reena and Luke to work for an eccentric neighbor named Mrs. Falala, who has a pig named Paulie, a cat named China, a snake named Edna—and that stubborn cow, Zora.
This heartwarming story, told in a blend of poetry and prose, reveals the bonds that emerge when we let others into our lives.

I'm just not satisfied that the story has the heart the author intended.  The intending is somewhat predictable and long in coming, and the relationship between the children and Mrs. Falala could have gone deeper.  Not only that, but I wanted to see more interaction with the other animals in the story, and there could have been more attention paid to the Maine culture and language.

Overall, this is an easy read (I read it in virtually a single sitting.), and the poetry runs keep the reader moving for page after page, so you might consider checking it out.  See if your evaluation agrees or disagrees with mine.