MARKET DAY

The Bensons, of The Milkman (2005) fame, neglect to feed the family cow (and to close the gate) as they rush off to pick apples to take to the local farmers’ market. These small oversights escalate as the hungry cow follows the family’s truck to the market and proceeds to knock over pies, spill produce and generally wreak havoc in her presumed search for breakfast: “Busy Bensons. Apples out. / Not aware of stares and shouts. / Not aware of market trouble / coming closer, on the double.” The best part: Only readers paying close attention will deduce early on that it’s the Benson cow causing all the fuss. Jones’s lovely pencil drawings, with their muted melon palette, conjure beatific rural scenes of yesteryear, setting the stage for the simple drama enacted by cartoonish characters and a couple of funny orange cats. Children will enjoy this rhyming romp even more the second time, as they identify the visual clues they missed the first time through. Moral: Don’t forget to feed the cow. (Picture book. 3-5)