Raisin, the Littlest Cow

by Miriam Busch, Larry Day (Illustrator)

Overview

An irresistible sibling story about Raisin, the littlest cow on the farm, and what happens when she gets a little brother—from the author and illustrator of Lion, Lion. Perfect for fans of Hug Machine and You Are (Not) Small.

Raisin loves being the littlest cow in the herd. All the other cows dote on her, and life is grand.

But one day, Raisin’s mother has a new little cow . . . one who is even smaller than Raisin. And suddenly everything changes. Raisin has never liked change, and this one is the worst. Now no one pays attention to her, the new baby smells funny, and even the weather won’t cooperate.

But then, when absolutely everything is going wrong, Raisin discovers a change in herself—one that delights the entire herd. Even (and especially!) the new baby.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062427632
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/28/2017
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	550,301
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Miriam Busch earned her MFA in writing for children and young adults from Hamline University. She loves pie and elephants and trees and whales and stories of all sorts. You can visit her at www.miriambuschauthor.com.

Miriam and Larry Day also collaborated on the picture book Lion, Lion, which was named an Illinois Reads selection, an NPR Best selection, an Indie Next Best selection, a Junior Library Guild selection, and a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year. They live in the Midwest.

Larry Day is the illustrator of over twenty picture books, a painter of fine art, and a storyboard artist/art director for advertising agencies. He is the recipient of many state awards for his books, as well as three gold medals from the Society of Illustrators. Larry also won the Golden Kite Award for best illustrated picture book (Not Afraid of Dogs). Find him online at www.larrydayillustration.com.

Larry and Miriam Busch collaborated on the picture book Lion, Lion, which was named an Illinois Reads selection, an NPR Best selection, an Indie Next Best selection, a Junior Library Guild selection, and a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year. They live in the Midwest.

Editorial Reviews

One to add to the new-baby shelf.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Written with empathy, a bit of drama, and touches of humor...offers a reassuring new slant on a timeless story.” — Booklist

Praise for LION, LION: “Sly, dark humor for little ones—at its best.” — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for LION, LION: “With plenty of chuckle-worthy illustrations and a simple but enjoyable story, this should work well in storytimes or for one-on-one reading.” — School Library Journal

Praise for LION, LION: “Amusing…[with] a Sendakian flair...An excellent way to introduce younger listeners to the deliberate subversion of expectations.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for LION, LION: “A killer combination of twisty wordplay, kid-perfect watercolors and characters that demand funny voices, Lion, Lion is a read aloud sure to leave your audience delighted and you just a little hoarse.” — NPR

From the Publisher

Praise for LION, LION: “Amusing…[with] a Sendakian flair...An excellent way to introduce younger listeners to the deliberate subversion of expectations.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for LION, LION: “A killer combination of twisty wordplay, kid-perfect watercolors and characters that demand funny voices, Lion, Lion is a read aloud sure to leave your audience delighted and you just a little hoarse.

NPR

Written with empathy, a bit of drama, and touches of humor...offers a reassuring new slant on a timeless story.

Booklist

Praise for LION, LION: “Amusing…[with] a Sendakian flair...An excellent way to introduce younger listeners to the deliberate subversion of expectations.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Written with empathy, a bit of drama, and touches of humor...offers a reassuring new slant on a timeless story.

Booklist

01/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—Raisin the cow has a good life. All of the bigger cows fuss over her because she's the smallest one in the herd, and she likes that. Everything is going well until changes begin to happen. Raisin doesn't like change, and this one is the worst. One Thursday, Raisin's mother has a new baby calf. All of the other cows are very excited…except for Raisin. Not only is she no longer the smallest and the cutest but the older cows are paying more attention to her younger brother than they do to her. Her mother does her best to include the upset little cow. She asks her to help feed the new calf, but Raisin doesn't want any part of it. When her mother inquires what he should be named, Raisin suggests the name of her least favorite day—Thursday. But something magical happens as thunder starts to rumble across the sky. Raisin realizes that her brother dislikes the immense noise more than she does. Could she change and be the one to help her frightened little sibling? This is a successful book on many levels. The illustrations are appealing, and the characters are full of expression. This title will be helpful to parents who are introducing a new baby into a family and have young ones who might be having a difficult time adjusting to the situation. This story will also be beneficial for helping children who have a hard time dealing with change. VERDICT An appealing read-aloud for one-on-one and small group sharing; ideal for medium to large collections.—Barbara Spiri, Southborough Library, MA

School Library Journal

2016-12-21
Raisin's tiny bovine nose is out of joint when her new baby brother arrives.Before she becomes a big sister, Raisin the calf revels in being the littlest cow in her herd. Day's illustrations incorporate environmental text as she makes lists of things she likes (movies, the color brown, and lists among them) and things she doesn't (including cauliflower, thunder, and change). The latter list is a harbinger for the plot's central conflict: when Raisin's mother has a baby, the new big sister decides he looks like a head of cauliflower, and she hates the changes his arrival creates. For one thing, no one comes to boost her up to see the movie playing at the drive-in visible across the pasture fence, as they usually do. Then a thunderstorm begins when she succeeds in giving herself a boost with the aid of a bucket as stepstool. She returns to the herd, cranky and upset, but when she sees how scared and sad the baby is, big-sisterly instincts kick in and she offers comfort—and she's even inspired to give him a name as sweet as her own: Raindrop. This is well-trod territory in terms of storytelling, but Day's multimedia art ratchets up the cuteness with little Raisin's fuzzy topknot and displays a quirky sensibility while details like the drive-in theater keep staleness at bay. One to add to the new-baby shelf. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews