Book Review:"Morning Miss Moo" (story of an ornery cat) by Carrie Dow, Illustrations by Roxanne Macke

"Miss Moo"

"Ever been bossed around? Been told what to do? That's Miss Moo!"

"Morning Miss Moo" is  based on Carrie Dow's own cat, a stray found behind the garage.

Anyone who has been "owned" by a cat can relate to the infamous scene that occurs in most households, where before the sun has even had a chance to rise, our feline food machines are at-the-ready, game plans for how to awaken us ingrained in their crafty kitty craniums. This event is the crux of "Morning Miss Moo", author Carrie Dow's first children's book, .

The book, for me, a tad on the short side (approx 10 pages), but possibly purrfect for the 4 and under crowd's limited attention span) focuses on Miss Moo's quest for her breakfast,  and how she is going to waken her "blonde" (Mom) in order to to accomplish this task.

Once fed, like any kitty worthy of calling itself a cat, Miss Moo pretty much wants nothing more to do with the "blonde" other than to return to the "blonde's" bed after eating, curl up beside her and  go to sleep.

The illustrations by Roxanne Macke of Broomfield, CO. are quite good. Macke is a graphic artist and she was able to use digital photos of Miss Moo and put them into her illustrations.

Carrie Dow is hoping to turn the book into a series, an excellent idea. While being a cute, pleasant read, in my opinion "Morning Miss Moo (story of an ornery cat)" didn't quite show me enough of why Miss Moo is ornery. Tapping her "blonde's" face and chin to awaken her is far from "ornery" to me.

When attempting to awaken my husband for his breakfast,  Cody turns on the printer and knocks anything off of the bedroom dresser that he can get his paws on to make sure our feet hit the floor in short order! THAT'S "ornery!"

Children in particular love to read about silly and mischievous behavior (especially when it is an animal exhibiting objectionable behavior), that they can associate with, learn from and giggle like crazy at.

I would have liked to have seen Carrie Dow tie into the book (if it IS the first of a series), how she came to acquire Miss Moo and how Miss Moo earned her name. It is mentioned on the press release that the "Dows named her Miss Moo because instead of saying "meow" like other cats, she says "moo".

It is my hope that Carrie Dow DOES continue with the series. The title "Morning Miss Moo (story of an ornery cat) is great, but there was something missing in this story for me. More development of the actual story is needed, show us just how  "ornery" Miss Moo really is!




Miss Moo has her own blog. Read it at www.missmooblog.blogspot.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Carrie Dow is a freelance magazine writer who lives with her husband in Lakewood, Colorado. Along with Miss Moo, she also has an orange tabby Snickers, and a black English Labrador named Jasmine.


ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:Roxanne Macke is an environmental artist/graphic designer. She lives with her husband, their two dogs, Yorkiepoo Frodo and a black Labrador mix, Brodie, in Broomfield, Colorado. www.2roxstudios.com


The book is currently available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. ISBN 978-1-4269-1 879-7.