All About Cows

REAL LIVE COWS

	Gail Gibbons’s brightly illustrated The Milk Makers (Aladdin, 1987) is a straightforward step-by-step account of the milk-making process, from cow to glass. For ages 4-9.
	Jules Older’s  humorous 32-page Cow (Charlesbridge Publishing, 1998) looks like an ad for Ben & Jerry’s – the art is by Ben & Jerry’s veteran Lyn Severance – but it’s filled with real facts about real cows, including breeds of cows, the names of the cow’s four stomachs, how calves are born, a bovine quiz, and (a yummy tangent) how to make an ice cream sundae. For ages 5 and up.
	In Jennifer Holland’s photo-illustrated Unlikely Friendships for Kids series, the title story in The Leopard & the Cow (Workman Publishing, 2012) is the tale of a young leopard cub, adopted by an Indian cow. For ages 5-8.
	Pat Wakefield’s A Moose for Jessica (Puffin, 1992) is the photo-illustrated story of a young bull moose – later known as Josh – who wandered into a cow pasture and became attached to a cow named Jessica. For ages 7-12.
	Cris Peterson’s photo-illustrated Clarabelle: Making Milk and So Much More (Boyds Mills Press, 2007) is set on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, where Clarabelle lives with 1200 other cows. The book describes all the basics of cow physiology, milk-making, and dairy farming – readers learn that Clarabelle produces 15 gallons of milk a day, which goes to make an array of other products, such as cheese, butter, ice cream, and yogurt. And not only that: Clarabelle and pals also generate electricity, fertilizer, and compost. For ages 8-11.
	Learn to identify all 52 American breeds of cows! John Pukite’s A Field Guide to Cows (Penguin Books, 1998) has illustrations, statistics, cool cow trivia, and general information on each featured breed of cow. (We have a copy in the car.) Fun for all ages.
	Jack Byard’s Know Your Cows (Fox Chapel Publishing, 2012) is an illustrated and alphabetical guide to cow breeds, from Ayrshire to White Park. All ages.
	Marvin Harris’s Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches (Vintage, 1989) is a fascinating study in anthropology, explaining the economic and social underpinnings of traditional cultural beliefs. Find out, for example, why Hindus have sacred cows. For teens and adults.

MILK AND CHEESE AND MORE

	Aliki’s charmingly illustrated Milk: From Cow to Carton (HarperCollins, 1992) covers the story of milk from grazing cows to dairy to the many different foods made from milk. For ages 4-8.
	Cris Peterson’s Extra Cheese, Please! (Boyds Mills Press, 1994) traces “Mozzarella’s Journey From Cow to Pizza,” with color photos and lots of fascinating facts. (A single cow produces 40,000 glasses of milk a year, enough to make cheese for 1800 pizzas.) For ages 4-8.
	Milk by Mark Kurlansky (Bloomsbury, 2018) is a 10,000-year history of milk. For teens and adults.
	Try making your own mozzarella! Ricki’s Cheesemaking Kit includes materials (everything but milk), instructions, and recipes for making multiple batches of mozzarella and ricotta cheeses. Fun for all ages.
	Cheese.com is a database of all things cheese, covering nearly 600 cheeses by name, country, and type of milk, plus cheese facts and cheese recipes. (Find out why American cheese is not really cheese.)
	Milk: Nature’s Wonder Beverage has reader-friendly information and cool infographics that give readers the scoop on milk, cheese, and yogurt.