Sunday, March 16, 2008

Book Review: Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier

Book: Millie Waits for the Mail
Author: Alexander Steffensmeier
Published: 2007

Millie the cow loves one thing more than anything else. Is it grass? No. Is it mooing? No.

It's scaring the mail carrier!

But the farmer keeps getting broken packages, and the mail carrier has cow-filled nightmares. They both decide it's time to do something about Millie's bad habit. So on the same day, they both carry out their respective plans. Can anything change Millie's ways?

It's always fun to see one animal behaving like another (with resultant havoc). Millie sneaks around the farmyard, hiding in the most unlikely places, tail all but wagging in the anticipation of the fun to come. The mail carrier, for his part, looks like a nervous wreck (as well he might, with a one-ton animal scaring the bejeebers out of him on a daily basis).

This book was especially fun to read over again because of the illustrations. Steffensmeier draws with a gleeful energy that perfectly matches the offbeat story. I loved the omnipresent chickens, which pop up everywhere. My favorite was the one perched with admirable sangfroid on the back of a speeding tractor, with a cup of something-or-other at its side.

If you're the type who's fond of a moral, you can use this book to talk about the consequences of our actions, and how what we consider good clean fun might be very harmful to others. Luckily, it doesn't beat you over the head with a Message for the Kiddies, and you can read about Millie, the mail carrier, and the (female!) farmer for the giggles that are sure to come.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I loved this book. The illustrations are so very expressive. You can tell Millie is not the brightest creature, but oh, her exuberance!