MINNIE & MOO AND THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD
by Denys Cazet & illustrated by Denys Cazet
Having delighted fans in a series of easy readers, these bovine buddies and their barnyard coterie gracefully leap to a longer format. Panicked by a chance-heard comment that makes her think the farm’s about to be sold, Moo rejects Minnie’s calming wisdom—“Thinking leads to sleepless nights, heartache, and torpid bowels”—sweeping her along into a grand scheme to raise money through tours of the farm’s wonders. What wonders are those? Leave that to the enterprising Moo, who is soon leading a gaggle of credulous livestock wealthy zoo volunteers to a nest of baby rocks, a UFO’s hubcap, and like “marvels.” Meanwhile, something lurks in the nearby woods: could it be Big Hoof, the missing link between dinosaurs and cows? Liberally illustrated with rural scenes of the tubby, but nattily dressed tour guides and their all-too-easily-distracted customers, this cheerfully silly ramble ends with a wild double twist—and strong evidence that we haven’t seen the last of Minnie and Moo. Good news indeed. (Fiction. 9-11)