By Maureen Tai, 20 February 2022

Moo (ages 8+) is a whimsical, heartfelt middle-grade, mixed prose/verse novel about twelve-year old Reena, her little brother Luke, the eccentric, irascible Mrs Falala, and Mrs Falala’s coterie of pets: Paulie the pig, China the cat, Edna the snake, Crockett the parrot, and last but not least, Zora, the ornery, ill-tempered Belted Galloway heifer (phew, that was a long sentence!).

On a whim, Reena’s family relocates from a bright, bustling city to a small, rural town in Maine, near the ocean and mountains. Equally on a whim, Reena and her brother are volunteered by their parents to help Mrs Falala with her chores, three days a week. Initially reluctant, the children soon discover that there is more to Mrs Falala than meets the eye, and that there is a simple cure to Zora’s obstinance, a cure that Reena is determined to administer …

This charming and light-hearted contemporary novel with its text playfully spaced and sometimes, in different fonts, will appeal to young, emerging readers and animal lovers. Parents be forewarned though: this book might very well turn your child into a vegetarian!