P Crumble (text) Nathaniel Eckstrom (illus.), Me and Moo, Scholastic, 1 March 2015, 24pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 978 1 743625323
The whimsical text and illustrations in this picture book play perfectly together. ‘Me’ is a charming first person narrator who tells us the story of his unlikely friendship with Moo (an aptly named cow). Moo grew from a baby sleeping under Me’s bed to a problematic mountain with Me’s bed tenuously perched on the top – whereupon mum laid down rules.
The captivating illustrations are of cute, stylised, blocky big-headed characters in a muted palette of earthy and blue tones. The proportions of the characters, their antics and expressions give the work a comical feel. The text is playful and engaging with a delightfully surprising ending. I found the story intriguing as I tried to decide whether Moo was an imaginary friend or not, but this didn’t dampen the charm and gentle humour of the story.
Moo and Me is a sweet, big-hearted imaginative tale that demands repeat readings – who wouldn’t want to know what it’s like having a cow as a ‘bestie’ – or should that be beastie??
reviewed by Debra Tidball
- Want another opinion of this book? Read Chris Dayman’s review.