Boo Cow    by Patricia Baehr & Margot Apple Order:  USA  Can Charlesbridge, 2010 (2010) Hardcover Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Bob Walch Having always dreamed of living in the country and farming, Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman took their savings, bought an old farm and said good-bye to city life. Once they fixed the place up and installed a new chicken yard, the couple ordered 552 chickens and were ready for some serious egg production. But, alas, the chickens did not produce any eggs. Every morning they checked the hen house, the Noodlemans found nothing but empty nests. What could the problem be? Consulting a neighbor, Mr. Noodleman was told, 'It's not you, it's the ghost! Every night, at the stroke of twelve, Boo Cow haunts your farm! The chickens must be too scared to lay eggs!' Sure enough, the coupled discovered they had purchased a haunted farm! They tried hanging garlic about the hen house, they consulted a psychic, and they even brought some of the hens into their bedroom, but the spectral visitor wouldn't go away. Totally at their wits' end, the Noodlemans were about to toss in the towel when they realized that it was not the ghostly bovine that was the problem. No, there was a far simpler solution to the mystery of the empty chicken nests. A picture book with an excellent story as well as top notch illustrations, Boo Cow offers some surprising and clever twists in this tale of the mysterious, disappearing eggs. Since there is more text here than in the usual picture book, I would think this would be an excellent transition story that would move young readers towards books with fewer pictures or no illustrations at all. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews