THE COW IN THE DARK AT NIGHT

While curiosity kills neither cat nor cow, alien abduction is another matter entirely.

Something is amiss. It’s nighttime, and the farmer’s prized cow is awake, alert, and wandering the fields. Wholly aware of her situation, this cow has been planning for this moment, determined to discover what secrets exist when the sun goes down. Blithely meandering into the dark, the cow is quickly joined by a reluctantly protective farm cat. Together the two encounter robbers, a vampire, and, ultimately, an alien who abducts them posthaste. After hypothesizing that space must be “where all the night comes from,” the cow is taken to Mars, where she is quickly declared queen. A sly piece of misdirection brings the tale to a chuckle-worthy conclusion. Orange, purple, and green dominate the simple (but never simplistic) art. Hannigan’s illustrations deftly shoulder the book’s visual gags, particularly when it comes to the cat. Skepticism is conveyed with just the merest tilt to the angle of the cat’s eye. Young readers will greatly enjoy their superiority over the cow’s ignorant nonchalance, perhaps screaming instructions on what to do at any given moment. And, like many wise fools, she gets what she deserves in the end.

Bovine ineptitude proves a powerful force in this hilarious tale of one rogue cow.