National Dairy Month
Every June many Americans celebrate Dairy Month in recognition of the important role that dairy plays in the everyday lives of millions of US citizens. Created in 1937, Dairy Month was established to help stabilize dairy demands during times of peak production. To help with that, the National Dairy Council provided promotional materials to over 6,000 stores that participated in Dairy Month. As time passed, Dairy Month began to focus on wider uses of dairy products.
Dairy Month was initially funded by a one cent per pound butterfat tax in the month of June. In 1955 the American Dairy Association became the leader in Dairy Month campaigns, emphasizing sales promotion programs. Today Dairy Month is widely celebrated throughout the US, with dairy food demonstrations, free ice cream samples, cattle shows, cow milking contents, and parades featuring county and regional dairy princesses.
Dairy is as relevant today as it ever was—over 1,000 new dairy products are introduced every year, while US consumption of cheese reached a record high in 2005, with Americans consuming 31.3 pounds of cheese per capita. Dairy products contain calcium, potassium, protein, and help keep bones strong, so be sure to drink your milk and eat your cheese!
To learn more about Dairy Month and find fun ways to celebrate, be sure to visit http://www.ehow.com/how_2322123_celebrate-national-dairy-month.html, http://www.crayola.com/calendar/detail.cfm?event_id=206&year=2009, and http://www.midwestdairy.com/pages/index.cfm?TREE_ID=640.
Reviews
Buttercup's Lovely Day
Carolyn Beck
Illustrated by Andrea Beck
Readers follow Buttercup the cow as she explores her world with poetry, wending her way through fields and wallowing in creeks and cool wet mud. From the mud under her feet and the stars in the sky, Buttercup’s world is full of everyday things seen in a new and beautiful perspective. Andrea Beck’s lovely illustrations are a perfect counterpoint to the lovely lyrical text. While the pace of the poetry is slow and reflective, there are humorous portions that will appeal to children and keep readers motivated and interested, including a passage about a skunk, a “stinky slinky funky skunk” that causes the cow pause: “I dare not think of what he might do if I should twitch or fart or moo!” The best part of this book is its ability to introduce children to rare words such as languorous, lurk, churning and murk. This book is highly recommended for purchase for public and school libraries’ poetry collections. 2009, Orca Book Publishers, $19.95 and $9.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Meagan Albright (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-55143512-1
ISBN: 1-55143512-8
ISBN: 978-1-55469-122-7
Clancy the Courageous Cow
Lachie Hume
The whimsical illustrations provide visual context to this unique story about being different. Clancy is a Belted Galloway cow with the misfortune of having been born without a belt. The other belted cows tease him every day. The Belted Galloways always graze in the poor pastureland, but the more beautiful red Hereford cows always graze in the very lush pasture. Clancy’s problem becomes an advantage when he discovers that not having a belt allows him to not be noticed when he sneaks into the Herford pasture, where under the cover of darkness he grows fat on the rich grass. Clancy meets another misfit while grazing in the forbidden pasture. Her name is Helga. She is shunned by the other Herfords because she is all brown. The two misfit cows come up with an idea to put an end to the silly discrimination between the two breeds. Humor is laced throughout the story and lightens the serious problem it is addressing. 2007, Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins, $16.99. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Sue Reichard (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-0611-7249-6
ISBN: 0-0611-7249-9
Clarabelle: Making Milk and so Much More
Cris Peterson
Photographs by David R. Lundquist
Clarabelle is a Holstein dairy cow on the Norwiss family farm in Wisconsin. The gentle beast with her bulky black-spotted body and doleful eyes is a virtual four-footed factory. In addition to the milk she produces three times a day, her byproducts provide clean stall bedding, electricity, and fertilizer for the farm. Clarabelle’s carefully monitored diet, the milking process, her complicated digestive system, and all the technology that goes into running a modern day dairy farm are carefully explained. Peterson has woven lots of interesting facts that will appeal to young readers into the text. Here, they will learn that a cow produces 30 gallons of saliva a day, her stomach hold 25 gallons of material (explained as filling a bathtub until it’s half full), and one cow can produce enough milk in her lifetime to feed a family of four for seventeen years! Excellent photos serve to detail the information and also to put a human face on the farm, as three generations of the Norwiss family are shown hard at work. Whether reading this book just for fun or to supplement a unit on farms and/or community workers, this is an excellent choice. 2007, Boyds Mills Press, $16.95. Ages 7 to 12. Reviewer: Beverly Fahey (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-5907-8310-8
ISBN: 1-5907-8310-7
The Cow that was the Best Moo-ther
Andy Cutbill
Illustrations by Russell Ayto
This cute story begins with Marjorie the cow waking with a jolt as the farmer’s wife banged away hammering up a poster stating that afternoon there would be a beautiful baby contest. Naturally all the lady cows were excited. Daisy was reminded of her own beautiful baby who was so special to her and was hatched from an egg, had feathers and played with the chickens.. Naturally the other mother cows got right to work teaching their babies how to ready themselves for the big contest. They gossiped about Daisy being small for a cow but Marjorie would hear none of it. She knew Daisy was perfect. When the farmer’s wife came to inspect the babies to pick the very best, she bent down when she finally reached Daisy. A worm suddenly appeared in her hat and with a big gulp, Daisy swallowed it whole. The story only gets funnier and more bizarre from that point on. Kids will love the craziness and outlandish illustrations. Full of laughs, the story and illustrations will certainly keep the pages turning. 2009, HarperCollins Children’s Books, Ages 2 to 6, $17.99. Reviewer: Joan Elste (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-06-166472-4
Cows Moo!
Pam Scheunemann
Cows really are quite amazing. Did you know a cow has four stomachs? A specially written book created by a team of professional educators to assist young readers with developing reading skills and strategies. Labeled as a transitional reader, each page contains just one line of text with large font, followed by a non-fiction text box that gives a fact about cows. Great full color photographs bring you up close and personal with cows.. A perfect book to use with beginning readers and researchers for teaching how non-fiction text is read differently with a different purpose. .A glossary is included that defines more completely eight of the words. The author includes a special section that explains to readers that cows make the same sound all over the world, but the way humans imitate them depends on the language they speak. In Japanese the cows moo is mau mau, in France it is meuh. Offers a fun extension and brings a real life perspective to the text for young readers. A nice addition to classrooms reading libraries that use a balanced approach to literacy instruction. 2009, ABDO Publishing Company, Ages 5 to 9, $19.93. Reviewer: Kathy Leggett (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-60453-569-3
Dairy Queen: a Novel
Catherine Gilbert Murdock
In the summer of her fifteenth year, D.J. carries the weight of her family farm quite literally on her back. Her father has had a hip operation and cannot do the physical work required on this small dairy farm in rural Wisconsin. Her mother is working two jobs, and her older brothers are away playing college football. D.J’s younger brother is some help but is often busy with his own sports schedule. Football is in the family’s blood and D. J. has spent most of her life either watching her brothers play or helping while they trained. She is big and strong and capable of handling a man’s job. Jimmy, an old family friend and the coach for a local high school football team, is the only one who seems to notice that D. J. should not be doing this job alone. He sends Brian, a spoiled rich quarterback who needs some discipline in his life, to help. At first D.J. is not sure how Brian will be of any help to her. He does not have the work ethic that has been drilled into her and her brothers from the day they were born; he does not have a reason to put forth much effort; and he probably views her with contempt, as do most of the sleek, popular in-crowd. But Brian keeps coming back and D. J. begins to open up to him, sometimes talking directly to him and sometimes talking in her head, and they both discover new dimensions of their personalities. D.J. begins to question the silence that rules her family, to ask questions about their relationships, and to step out into uncharted territory. She even finishes her English work from sophomore year so she does not have to enter her junior year with an F on her transcript. She also decides to go out for the high school football team. This is not an effort to emulate her older brothers, but an effort to do something for herself, to step out of the expected course of action, and to be her own person. 2006, Houghton Mifflin, $16.00. Ages 14 up. Reviewer: Wendy M. Smith-D’Arezzo (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-6186-8307-0
ISBN: 978-0-6186-8307-9
Goats
Sally Morgan
Goats are farm animals that produce milk, food, and provide wool for clothing. Goats also produce yogurt and cheeses that taste similar to the foods that cows produce. The wool from a goat is called mohair and cashmere, the latter is very expensive wool. Goats are found in Asia and Africa and are very friendly. All goats have beards and toggles. The male goats have beards that are thicker than the females. Baby goats drink milk from their mother and are called kids. Goats can range far and wide and they have long lifespans 12 to 16 years. Interestingly, goats learn to nibble and hold new plants in their mouths to see if they like what they are tasting before they eat the entire item. Different types of goats are found in different parts of the world. Many cultures use goats as part of specific traditions for holidays. Children in many countries eat goat’s milk, cheese and yogurt regularly. For those who have never tasted the milk, there is an outstanding activity at the end of the book on making a goat’s milk smoothie. There are ideas to help children relate to goats as well as activities to create involvement at home and school. The bolded words throughout the book are defined in the glossary and should enrich vocabularies. This book would be an asset to any curriculum about farms. It is part of the "Down on the Farm" series. 2008, Crabtree Publishing Company, $6.95. Ages 4 to 7. Reviewer: Rachel Miller (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7787-4054-4
ISBN: 0-7787-4054-4
Ice Cream
Dana Meachen Rau
The cover photo of ice cream, listed in the Benchmark series "What’s Cooking," would entice any child to pick up this book. The simple format is designed specifically for beginning readers. Each double page spread has a full page photo of children sharing and eating ice cream or combining different items to decorate. The books in this series focus on children learning to read words through pictures interspersed between the text. Though well presented, the series needs to focus more on healthier foods by adding vegetables and cutting back on the amount of books about desserts like cake, ice cream, and cookies. The photographs are bright and attractive, a plus for parents and teachers to interest children in learning to read. The visual hints are a help in passing on information about the subject matter. Further information can be found in the back pages of each book under the title of "Find More," which lists books, videos, and websites. 2009, Marshall Cavendish Corporation, $19.95. Ages 5 to 7. Reviewer: Joan Elste (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7614-2893-0
ISBN: 0-7614-2893-3
Louis Pasteur and Pasteurization
Jennifer Fandel
Illustrated by Keith Wilson, Rodney Ramos, and Charles Barnett III
This engaging graphic novel begins with an illustration of the spread of infectious disease--a nineteenth century farmer transmitting tuberculosis to the families that buy his milk. The author explains the prevailing theory of sickness at the time--evil spirits. Then, we are introduced to Pasteur, a scientist who is working to understand food spoilage. While readers may be familiar with pasteurization as it applies to milk, Fandel shows that Pasteur did not start with dairy. Fandel shows Pasteur’s work that led to disproving the theory of spontaneous generation and the development of pasteurization to help winemakers. The scientific method and process is illustrated well throughout the book. At the end of the book Fandel includes more facts about Pasteur. There is also a glossary with a pronunciation guide for all included words, information about the FactHound Internet search site, related books, and a bibliography. The illustrations work well with the text to enhance the reading experience. A good supplement to a history or science unit, it is part of the "Inventions and Discovery" series. 2007, Capstone Press, $25.26. Ages 9 to 12. Reviewer: Amber Hurt (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 9780736868440
ISBN: 0-7368-6844-5
Max Goes to the Farm
Adria F. Klein
Illustrated by Mernie Gallagher-Cole
Off with his friend DeShawn, the duo heads to Max’s grandparent’s farm. It must be a pretty big one since they ride horses on what appears to be an expansive piece of land. Then they milk ten cows--not an easy task, but they are each pictured smiling with a bucket full of milk. Next they feed the pigs, gather eggs, jump in the hay, and finally head inside for a treat. Grandma, fancy earrings, necklace and all, has made a batch of oatmeal cookies. After a really busy day, they head back home and look forward to a return visit. It is a fanciful outing and, as with other books in the "Read-it! Readers" series that feature Max, the stylized illustrations leave this reviewer cold. FactHound is available to help kids find safe sites on the Internet for more information. This is a Red Level book--aimed at early readers. 2008, Picture Window, $19.93. Ages 5 to 7. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4048-3678-5
ISBN: 1-4048-3678-0
Monkey Pudding and Other Dessert Recipes
Kristi Johnson
Part of a new series, "Fun Food for Cool Cooks," these handsome titles are going to jump into the hands of kids (and grownups) because of the simple recipes, easy directions (usually one sentence per step), large print, enticing photographs of the finished food attractively presented and a tone that says to kids, "You can DO this!" Every recipe has a star-rating from one to three to show difficulty, a list of ingredients (in small print, however) and pictures in each recipe of the tools to be used during the preparation (a first in cookbooks!). The recipes are titled enticingly and closely fit the theme of each cookbook. Each book includes Facthound.com information, a glossary, an index, a quick bio of the author (in a toque), a few books to lead kids into more reading, and a standard picture book trim size that will draw in older readers as well as the targeted age group (elementary) because of the photos. In this dessert treasury you will find recipes for "Monkey Pudding" (bananas and ‘nilla wafers), "Chocolate Chip Banana Pizza" (chocolate chip cookie dough crust with bananas and pudding), "Sunny Fun Cake" (white cake with jam--great presentation!), "Peanut Chunk and Chocolate Chip Cookies," "Campfire Cookies" (they look like little campfires), "Holy Cannoli" (in ice cream cones), "Coffee Can Ice Cream" (made in a coffee can inside a bigger coffee can with ice and salt surrounding; you roll it around to make the ice cream), "Chocolate Cherry Brownies" (this is a diet buster if I ever saw one), "Turtle Sundae Pecan Pie" (with chocolate chips), and "Tremendous Triple Berry Trifle" (in a trifle dish). Every recipe also includes a sidebar of "tasty tips" to add variations or some nice little trivia tidbit kids will like. The "Kitchen Safety" section at the front of each book is conversational and sensible and encourages kids to actually DO things. Unlike many cookbooks, it advises kids to have a First Aid kit in the kitchen too. The front page features a kid photo alongside metric conversions (does anybody ever USE these, I wonder?). These are among the most attractive cookbooks for kids I have seen and would be appropriate for elementary, middle, and early high school readers with nary a complaint from a kid. 2008, Snap Books/Capstone Press, $25.26. Ages 5 to 15. Reviewer: Gwynne Spencer (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4296-1337-8
ISBN: 1-4296-1337-8
Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow
Mary Ann Hoberman
Illustrated by Jenny Mattheson
Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight is one of those campfire ditties that tends to set toes of all ages tapping. This picture book adaptation of the song is likely to make it a favorite of the preschool set. Mary Ann Hoberman’s version is very close to the traditional song but adds elements that fit with the wonderful "You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You" books she has done. Thus each six line stanza and the "hot time" refrain are followed by a chant that gives a telegraphic narrative, beginning "Fire, Fire, Fire," and going on through "Smoke, smoke, smoke!" to "Help, Help Help!" "Water, Water, Water!" "Ladder, Ladder, Ladder!" "Save her, save her, save her!" "Thank you, thank you, thank you," and concluding with an appropriate "Moo Moo Moo!" Mathewson’s boldly colored whimsical drawings will make the story clear to any child who might have trouble with verse. This book should make a great read-aloud, or read-along at home or in the classroom. 2007, Little Brown and Company, $16.99. Ages 3 to 7. Reviewer: Mary Hynes-Berry (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-3161-4840-7
ISBN: 978-0-3161-4840-5
Senses on the Farm
Shelley Rotner
Life on the farm is explored through the five senses as we see the calf's big ears, touch the soft wool of a lamb, hear a hungry horse chomp, smell the pigpen, and taste the farm fresh milk. Beautiful, focused photographs capture the simplicity and charm of life on a farm. Readers will love gazing into the eyes of a young calf and seeing into the nostrils of an adorable piglet in an up-close shot of his wet nose. Using senses to explore the well covered subject of farm life helps children relate in a tangible way and encourages them to imagine what each of the subjects represented really do see, hear, smell, taste, and feel like. Accompany this book with a field trip to a farm to help children make real life connections with what they see on the page, and to see if a lamb is really as soft as it looks in this book! 2009, Millbrook Press, Ages 4 to 8, $23.93. Reviewer: Carly Reagan (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-8225-8623-4
Sheep
Hannah Ray
Sheep give people a lot of things such as wool for clothing, meat and milk to drink. Sheep have babies called lambs. Lambs depend on their mothers for milk for a short period of time. Lambs learn to identify their mothers by the sound and tone of their bleat. They learn to eat other things in their surroundings to survive as they grow up. Sheep can live for 13 to 15 years. The fleece of the sheep is used to make yarn after it is sheared off by farmers. There are many different types of sheep that are used to make various types of rugs, sweaters and blankets. The wool from sheep is very warm even when it gets wet. This factual book about sheep and lambs is perfect for learning about animals on the farm. Children will love the colorful photographs as well as the borders that surround each page. The author relates to the reader by comparing the sheep to a child. There are fun facts throughout the book that will capture the interest of each reader. At the end of the book there is an activity that teaches the reader how to weave like the weavers in the story. Children can become more involved and enthusiastic about what they read due to this art activity. There is also a section on the last page to give teachers and parents ideas on what else to do to help children understand more about sheep. The author really relates to the reader and the listener. This is part of the "Down on the Farm" series. 2008, Crabtree Publishing Company, $6.95. Ages 4 to 7. Reviewer: Rachel Miller (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7787-4056-8
ISBN: 0-7787-4056-0
To view Dairy Month features from a previous year, click here
Updated 05/27/09
To stay up to date on new books on this topic, consider subscribing to The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. For your free trial, click here.
If you're interested in reviewing children's and young adult books, then send a resume and writing sample to marilyn@childrenslit.com.