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The Milk Makers
You probably drink milk at almost every meal. But have you ever wondered where it comes from?
Cows eat special feed to make good milk. But after the cow is milked, there are still many steps the milk must go through before it reaches you. This book describes them all. And you'll be surprised to find how many other things you eat and drink come from milk, too.
Gail Gibbon's unique style makes this a fascinating book for children and adults alike.
Cows eat special feed to make good milk. But after the cow is milked, there are still many steps the milk must go through before it reaches you. This book describes them all. And you'll be surprised to find how many other things you eat and drink come from milk, too.
Gail Gibbon's unique style makes this a fascinating book for children and adults alike.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Gail Gibbons
183 books169 followersFrom gailgibbons.com: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together. I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.
Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.
Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
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May 21, 2025This book, and the entire Reading Rainbow episode in which it is featured, fascinated me as a kid. As an adult, I can see how it presents an idealized view of the dairy industry.
July 25, 2013
We got a themed box of books from the library about Farms and this was one of the books. My children found this completely boring. It was one of those books that had some great pictures, but words were everywhere, detailing every aspect of every piece of farm equipment. Maybe for older children this would be more informational, but my 5 yr old and twin 3 yr olds didn't really care for much except the pictures.
August 26, 2020
We saw this on Reading Rainbow, and my toddler is totally obsessed (it's a little "big dairy" for me, but that's a conversation for when he's older). As it turns out, RR skips part of the book (some of the more technical info) and animates things that are just diagrams, but kiddo seems equally enthralled by the actual book. It's surprisingly long, but he pays close attention to the whole thing and is retaining a shocking amount of info. This morning he explained to my husband exactly how to milk a cow by hand while demonstrating on a cat toy. He's also newly excited about drinking milk and telling us all about where it came from. Interested to read more of Gail Gibbons' books to see if his passion is generally scientific or specifically dairy-based.
May 27, 2018
As a person who read this back when I was a kid I can say that it was an amazing book. it provided colorful pictures with informational text. it may not be for the younger people but kids age 7-10 will greatly enjoy it.
May 4, 2011
Gail Gibbons is the best at non-fiction for young readers. You can't go wrong with any of her books.
February 1, 2014
Who knew?
October 8, 2020
This book goes over the process from cow to table how milk is made. It explains how the cows make milk, how they milk the cows, where the milk goes, and where it ends up. It's a pretty simple book but some of the words may be harder for younger kids to understand.
This book was okay. It wasn't my favorite nonfiction book ever. The pictures were ok. Overall this book was just okay. I don't really have a lot to write about it. They showed parts of the cows' stomach that I completely forgot after 2 minutes.
I don't think I would use this book in my classroom. I feel like there are better ways to teach kids where milk comes from. The book is overall very simple, and I don't think my kids would enjoy reading this book, just like I don't think I would enjoy reading this book to them.
This book was okay. It wasn't my favorite nonfiction book ever. The pictures were ok. Overall this book was just okay. I don't really have a lot to write about it. They showed parts of the cows' stomach that I completely forgot after 2 minutes.
I don't think I would use this book in my classroom. I feel like there are better ways to teach kids where milk comes from. The book is overall very simple, and I don't think my kids would enjoy reading this book, just like I don't think I would enjoy reading this book to them.
April 9, 2021
This is one of those books that I've just liked since I was little, probably because it's about animals. It's all about the process of how we get milk from a cow and into the stores for us to buy.
July 16, 2025
Am excellent informative book for children who are curious about where milk comes from.
June 10, 2021
I LOVED this book as a kid, and it still holds up now! For some reason I used to be obsessed with dairy cows...this book plus Extra Cheese, Please!: Mozzarella's Journey from Cow to Pizza plus the movie Make Mine Milk (which you can find on YouTube) all made a huge impression on me.
I like how Gail Gibbons keeps things simple enough for young kids to understand, even while introducing potentially more complex concepts, like pasteurization. I see some reviews here criticize the book for not talking about factory farming and the darker side of the dairy industry, but (1) this book was written decades ago and (2) let kids read simple, happy, age-appropriate things! They can learn where milk comes from without it turning into a gritty critique of the dairy/farming industry.
Time for me to go find more Gail Gibbons books!
I like how Gail Gibbons keeps things simple enough for young kids to understand, even while introducing potentially more complex concepts, like pasteurization. I see some reviews here criticize the book for not talking about factory farming and the darker side of the dairy industry, but (1) this book was written decades ago and (2) let kids read simple, happy, age-appropriate things! They can learn where milk comes from without it turning into a gritty critique of the dairy/farming industry.
Time for me to go find more Gail Gibbons books!
April 29, 2017
1985’s The Milk Makers ably illustrates what happens when promotion of an industry melds with children’s literature. The result can best be described as, well, “truthiness.”
The book opens with a few Holsteins grazing on a verdant pasture.
Cows are grazing in an open meadow. They are dairy cows, the milk makers.
If only. Well again, maybe this was an accurate picture considering the date of publication of this book. The blog Counting Animals writes of the American dairy industry:
The percentage of cows in large operations with 1000 or more cows has risen steadily from 0 in 1992 to 44% in 2010.
(Mega-dairies don’t graze cattle but rather crowd them into feedlot facilities.)
The book goes on to note:
Other animals make milk, too. But dairy cows make most of the milk we use.
The three “other animals who make milk” pictured are a goat, a sheep, and a reindeer. How silly. Every mammal species, including those of the human variety, are capable of making milk. It’s one of the major things that defines us as, well, mammals!
A cow is able to make milk when she is two years old and has given birth to a calf. Her milk is the food for her baby. She makes more than the calf will ever need—so we use the extra milk.
Now you’re just lying. It is true that selective breeding and feeding programs have turned the dairy cow into an animal that produces far more milk than it ever would in nature. But the idea that we’re just using the “extra” milk after Bossie Jr. gets her fill is ridiculous. On any sort of dairy operation that hopes to make money, the calf will be removed from the cow soon after birth. If the author spent any time on dairy farms researching this book, she would be aware of this standard industry procedure.
The only illustration in the book that hints at anything amiss in the dairy industry is one in which cows kept in a stanchion barn for winter are shown tightly chained in little stalls. Animals chained in such a manner would not be able to turn around or even take a few steps forward or backward. Here’s a real photo of one such operation.
After lots of discussion of how milk is processed after it leaves the farm, we get this on the last page:
Milk is a nutritious drink that makes our bodies strong and healthy.
I’d correct that by saying that milk is a somewhat nutritious but non-essential drink that a large portion of the Earth’s population cannot digest properly. Despite the claims of some, it has no magical properties, but it is over-produced to the nth degree and shows up as an ingredient in just about everything. And at the end of the day, that’s why most of us still use milk products.
Also, lying is wrong.
The book opens with a few Holsteins grazing on a verdant pasture.
Cows are grazing in an open meadow. They are dairy cows, the milk makers.
If only. Well again, maybe this was an accurate picture considering the date of publication of this book. The blog Counting Animals writes of the American dairy industry:
The percentage of cows in large operations with 1000 or more cows has risen steadily from 0 in 1992 to 44% in 2010.
(Mega-dairies don’t graze cattle but rather crowd them into feedlot facilities.)
The book goes on to note:
Other animals make milk, too. But dairy cows make most of the milk we use.
The three “other animals who make milk” pictured are a goat, a sheep, and a reindeer. How silly. Every mammal species, including those of the human variety, are capable of making milk. It’s one of the major things that defines us as, well, mammals!
A cow is able to make milk when she is two years old and has given birth to a calf. Her milk is the food for her baby. She makes more than the calf will ever need—so we use the extra milk.
Now you’re just lying. It is true that selective breeding and feeding programs have turned the dairy cow into an animal that produces far more milk than it ever would in nature. But the idea that we’re just using the “extra” milk after Bossie Jr. gets her fill is ridiculous. On any sort of dairy operation that hopes to make money, the calf will be removed from the cow soon after birth. If the author spent any time on dairy farms researching this book, she would be aware of this standard industry procedure.
The only illustration in the book that hints at anything amiss in the dairy industry is one in which cows kept in a stanchion barn for winter are shown tightly chained in little stalls. Animals chained in such a manner would not be able to turn around or even take a few steps forward or backward. Here’s a real photo of one such operation.
After lots of discussion of how milk is processed after it leaves the farm, we get this on the last page:
Milk is a nutritious drink that makes our bodies strong and healthy.
I’d correct that by saying that milk is a somewhat nutritious but non-essential drink that a large portion of the Earth’s population cannot digest properly. Despite the claims of some, it has no magical properties, but it is over-produced to the nth degree and shows up as an ingredient in just about everything. And at the end of the day, that’s why most of us still use milk products.
Also, lying is wrong.
March 14, 2013
milk makers by Gail Gibbons
Milk Makers is a book about how milk is made. There are 5 common breads of dairy cows. Dairy cows make most of the milk we use. Cows can make milk at 2 years old when she has had her own calf. She makes more milk than her calf can drink so we get the extra milk. Dairy cows eat food that is tough, course and hard to digest. The milk travels through the cows blood stream into her udder where the milk is made. Milk comes out of a cow's nipple called a teat. A cow can be milked by hand ,but most farmers use milking machines. The milk is then pumped into an insulated truck and taken to the dairy where it is packaged. Delivery trucks pick up the milk and deliver it to the stores. Finally, the milk is put into a cooler and refrigerated for us to buy.
Milk Makers is a great book for children to learn where the milk they drink every day comes from. Gail Gibbons does a phenomenal job simplifying the milk making process into terms that a child, or any adult, can understand. I think that both children and adults can benefit from reading this book.
Milk Makers is a book about how milk is made. There are 5 common breads of dairy cows. Dairy cows make most of the milk we use. Cows can make milk at 2 years old when she has had her own calf. She makes more milk than her calf can drink so we get the extra milk. Dairy cows eat food that is tough, course and hard to digest. The milk travels through the cows blood stream into her udder where the milk is made. Milk comes out of a cow's nipple called a teat. A cow can be milked by hand ,but most farmers use milking machines. The milk is then pumped into an insulated truck and taken to the dairy where it is packaged. Delivery trucks pick up the milk and deliver it to the stores. Finally, the milk is put into a cooler and refrigerated for us to buy.
Milk Makers is a great book for children to learn where the milk they drink every day comes from. Gail Gibbons does a phenomenal job simplifying the milk making process into terms that a child, or any adult, can understand. I think that both children and adults can benefit from reading this book.
March 11, 2010
Informative book about dairy cows and milk processing. The simple pictures with their parts labled are helpful in identifying little known facts. I would use this book when preparing to visit a farm, or when talking about cows and their anatomy. The description about milk processing is good to use after completing a graph about which students had milk, white or chocolate for lunch.
April 18, 2012
Author: Gail Gibbons
Grade Level: K-3
Content: Milk process, cows, informational
This book covers the cow on a pasture, and their producing of milk. Then it shows how the milk is processed through the factory and the ready for distribution to the public. This is a great labeled book that allows students with easy identification of items.
Grade Level: K-3
Content: Milk process, cows, informational
This book covers the cow on a pasture, and their producing of milk. Then it shows how the milk is processed through the factory and the ready for distribution to the public. This is a great labeled book that allows students with easy identification of items.
November 22, 2016
We read this informational book on Tuesday. We talked about how we already know lots of information about cows. We made a list of what we already knew. We then realized that we can use what we already know, the pictures and diagrams, and our "imagination station" to help us "read" this book. I modeled this "reading" process.
July 13, 2010
This book is mostly about cows and where cow milk comes from. It does show other animals that make milk. It also shows a baby calf, cows on the farm, milking by hand and by machine, and cow milk processing.
July 26, 2016
This informational book in tells the whole process of the milking, to filling up our glass of milk. It gives the reader information on how cows are fed special feed, how the milking process works, and the process of how the milk reaches the consumer. A great informational book.
May 14, 2024
The Milk Makers (Reading Rainbow Book)
by Gail Gibbons
a cute resource for children teaches were food comes from
by Gail Gibbons
a cute resource for children teaches were food comes from
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September 30, 2013Text and pictures explain how cows produce milk and how it is processed before being delivered to stores.
May 2, 2012
Reading Rainbow: The Milk Makers
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews