Why I absolutely love Minnie and Moo!

Minnie stared at the hamburgers. "Yum!" said Moo. "This is tasty!"
Minnie gasped. "Moo..."
"Take a bite," said Moo.
"Moo..." Minnie said softly. "Put it down."
"What?"
"Use your brain," said Minnie, tapping her head.
"Hamburgers are beef! Oh, Moo. Didn't you know?
We are beef!
Moo... you're eating someone!"

"Minnie," said Moo. "Read the sign."
Minnie looked at the side of the bus.
The sign said:
GOT A PLACE TO GO?
TAKE THIS BUS
"We have a place to go," said Moo.
"We will take this bus. I will drive.'

It is almost impossible to pick one favorite amongst the 14 books in the Minnie and Moo series. One of the many favorites in our house is Minnie and Moo go to the Moon. In this story Moo gets to thinking again. She decides that she and Minnie should go for a ride in the Farmer's tractor. In typical Minnie and Moo fashion, Moo's thinking is outside the box, or rather outside the barn for that matter. She is determined that what makes the farmer able to drive the tractor is not his hands and feet but his boots and hat. Moo soon dons the boots and Minnie the hat.

Despite their efforts to start the tractor, the hat and boots don't seem to be working until...

"Moo pulled a handle. She stepped on a pedal. The tractor was quiet.
"Try the magic words," said Moo.
"The ones the farmer shouts when the tractor won't start."
"Okay," said Minnie.
"YOU CHEESY PIECE OF JUNK!
YOU BROKEN-DOWN, NO-GOOD
RUSTY BUCKET OF BOLTS!"
Moo turned the key.
The tractor grumbled.
"Try it again," shouted Moo.
"This time, kick the tires after you say the magic words."

To the delight of Minnie and Moo, the tractored roared to a start and they were off on their adventure to the moon!

Minnie and Moo have many fun adventures. They also have a host of holiday antics from Christmas and Valentines to Halloween. The Halloween stories: Minnie and Moo: Night of the Living Bed, Minnie and Moo meet Frankenswine and Minnie and Moo and the Haunted Sweater are some of the silliest!

You really can't go wrong with any of the books in this series. We have spent a couple of years taking trips to the library checking them out only to decide we simply must own them!

Minnie and Moo decided to go trick or treating with some friends of theirs after a wild ride on a runaway bed.

They walked to the next house.
"Maybe you have to do a trick first, and then you get a treat," said Moo.
"I'll be first," said Minnie.
She rang the doorbell.
A lady opened the door.
Minnie jumped up and down.
She jumped faster and faster.
Then she held out her bag...

"That was my trick," she said.
I was being a milk shake."

Your peaks are crowned
with the sweetest snow;
Your valleys crisp
in deep fried dough;
Your insides filled
with that custard stuff;
How I love thee,
my sweet Cream Puff.

You will no doubt love Minnie and Moo Will You Be My Valentine?! It all starts with a love poem to a cream puff and ends in a mess as the two bovine cupids send a series of love poems written by Moo to all the barn animals, the farmer and his wife. The problems begin when Minnie and Moo get in a hurry and start sending the wrong valentines to each recipient. The farmer's wife gets a note for the turkey's, the farmer gets a note for an old goat, and on it goes.

Denys Cazet is the author and illustrator of more than 25 picture books for children, including Never Spit On Your Shoes, winner of the California Young Readers Medal.

The books about Minnie and Moo are his first for beginning readers. He was inspired to tell stories about the silly cow best-friends when he passed a herd of cows in which all but two were facing the same way. The other two stood next to each other, facing in the opposite direction from the rest of the cows. He immediately dubbed the two nonconformists Minnie and Moo and imagined the adventures two cows who were loyal friends rather than followers of the herd. Mr. Cazet is currently writing I Can Read Books featuring Elvis the Rooster from the farm on which Minnie and Moo live.

Mr. Cazet was an elementary school teacher for 25 years, and has also been a school librarian and elementary school media specialist. He remains active in his local elementary school parent and advisory committees. A California native, Mr. Cazet lives with his family in the foothills of the Napa Valley.