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Farmer Brown's Barnyard Tales

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

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The quirky, hilarious farmyard tale that started it all from New York Times bestselling duo of Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin! Now the inspiration for a new Christmas special, CLICK, CLACK, MOO: Christmas on the Farm .

Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type. All day long he hears:

Click, clack, moo.
Click, clack, moo.
Click, clack, moo.

But Farmer Brown’s problems REALLY begin when his cows start leaving him notes! Come join the fun as a bunch of literate cows turn Farmer Brown’s farm upside-down!

34 pages, Board Book

First published September 1, 1999

260 people are currently reading
20588 people want to read

About the author

Doreen Cronin

122 books443 followers
Doreen Cronin (born 1966) is an American writer of children's books, including Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type, a very well-received picture book illustrated by Betsy Lewin.

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5 stars
51,962 (54%)
4 stars
24,264 (25%)
3 stars
13,968 (14%)
2 stars
3,459 (3%)
1 star
1,470 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,500 reviews
Profile Image for Tim.
491 reviews836 followers
September 12, 2021
This is one of my daughter's favorite books right now. Obviously it's because of the ease in which it helps in understanding the difficulties of labor disputes and the social political climate in which they can rise.



Or maybe it's because the cows, chickens and ducks are funny.

Either way, an entertaining children's book that brings a laugh to her. Moderately amusing as an adult to read and with many opportunities to do fun voices. Also a good moral in terms of never trusting ducks (learned from many a picnic where they stole bread, now the lesson is easier than ever in book form). 4/5 stars
Profile Image for Calista.
5,431 reviews31.3k followers
July 17, 2019
This book cracked me up. I don’t think the artwork is worthy of a Caldecott, but the story is wonderful. Doreen has a wicked sense of humor.

A group of cows found a typewriter in the barn and they are typing up letters of demands to the farmer. When the farmer finds the notes, he gets angry and the cows go on strike and will not milk any longer. Then the hens go on strike as the cows are typing for them. The farmer is so angry at his animals. Anyway, all they want is electric blankets for the cold nights - that’s it.

A duck acts as diplomat and gets the blankets for the animals. It’s a beginning book that is simple, to the point and so funny. I loved it.

The kids thought it was funny too. The nephew gave this 5 stars. He thought the cows were hilarious. He said he was going to type up some demands. Oh boy. The niece thought this was funny too and she gave this 3 stars. She said it was cute.
Profile Image for Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘.
876 reviews4,172 followers
November 17, 2015


Hey! French fellows!



You don't understand this review? Check this. You're welcome.

All in all, an hilarious and original book. It gave bad ideas to my pupils though. Oh, well. Better now than never. We must preserve our reputation after all.

PS. I always knew ducks weren't worthy of trust. Just saying.
Profile Image for Anne.
4,731 reviews71.2k followers
January 19, 2009
All of my kids have loved this one! Especially the ending where Duck takes off with the typewriter!
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
870 reviews
August 26, 2008
HA HA! Workers of the world unite! I'm not sure how I accidentally checked out this book on how to explain union movements to your toddler, but this was a h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s, bizarre, and unexpected read.
Profile Image for Karina.
1,027 reviews
December 24, 2019
This was a free library giveaway and we loved it! These smart cows that show the pen is mightier than the sword, in this case typewriter.

It was funny. The kids and I giggled a bit. I think it shows kids it is never too late to learn something new and that you can fight for justice (or electric blankets) no matter your size or circumstance. Enjoyable.

Click, clack, MOO!!!
Profile Image for Mahsa.
61 reviews16 followers
December 8, 2025
چقدر خلاقانه و جذاب، با تصویرگری عالی. گاوهایی که تق‌تق تایپ‌ می‌کنن تا حقشونو از کشاورز بگیرن :)))
چقدرم باکلاسن! من تا این سنم پتوی برقی نداشتم و فکر نمی‌کردم که دلم بخوادش. مرسی از گاوها که این نیازو بهم یادآوری کردن.
Profile Image for Archit.
826 reviews3,200 followers
March 10, 2018
Somebody make me stop laughing.
Cows that type were hard to find, actually impossible. Until this book came into existence. I thanked the writers that this time they made the ducks play a neutral role but did they really?

Ducks cannot be trusted, right?

Plunge straight into this hilarious one.

P.S. We're closed. No milk today.
Profile Image for Jackie "the Librarian".
990 reviews282 followers
October 30, 2007
You gotta watch out for those smart cows. Once they realize their power over farmers, there is no end to what they might ask for. Room service. Extra towels. Facials. And you know what THAT means - the price of ice cream will skyrocket!
Never let a cow near a typewriter, that's all I'm saying.
Profile Image for Paul.
2,757 reviews20 followers
February 5, 2017
This book is absolutely hilarious! I may have an infantile sense of humour but this book made me laugh like a deranged milkman. It reminded me of the sort of thing Spike Milligan used to write.

The illustrations are also rather wonderful, in a Quentin Blake-ish style. Fantastic book. Every child should have this on their bookshelf.
Profile Image for Sabina.
284 reviews1 follower
January 20, 2024
BANGER! TEACH THE CHILDREN TO UNIONIZE!
Profile Image for Kathryn.
4,777 reviews
March 25, 2009
Amusing though smacked a little too much of labor strikes and typical corporate bad guys vs. dissatisfied workers for my taste... I know, I know, it is a kids book, though, and it IS hilarious to think of those cows click-clack-mooing away in the barn! :-)
Profile Image for Marieke.
333 reviews192 followers
June 3, 2016
I want to give this book five stars. It's so fun to read and the artwork is wonderful. But the little 17-month old in whose library it now belongs, is a little slow to warm up to new books. So I'm withholding a star until he responds to it the way he does to Little Blue Truck and Go, Dogs, Go!
Profile Image for Richard.
Author 6 books473 followers
June 23, 2017
I wonder how cows managed to type with their reduced number of digits and no opposable thumbs. At least the hens or the messenger duck could have used the hunt and peck method, but apparently this did not occur until later in the book. This book was written in the year 2000. One wonders why the farm animals did not use computers; with a decent voice recognition software, they might have avoided the awkwardness and tedium of typing altogether.
Profile Image for Alice Rachel.
Author 21 books275 followers
May 9, 2019
This was funny. The cows looked so cute.
Profile Image for Rod Brown.
7,317 reviews279 followers
November 30, 2023
A delightful introduction to organized labor and work stoppages.
Profile Image for Krystal.
31 reviews6 followers
March 1, 2009
Author: Doreen Cronin

Illustrator: Betsy Lewin

Genre: Fiction Picture Book

Publication Info: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing : 2000

Reading Level: Ages 4-8; Early Reader

Topic/Theme: Animal Rights/ Strike

Issues Addressed: Whether animals should be given rights on the farm. Does the farmer have the right to keep the animals produce? Social issues: stereotypical farmer and farm setting

Classroom Uses: Read Aloud, Individual Reading, Shared Reading

Summary: The animals on the farm find a typewriter. They start to send the farmer messages. They demand to have electric blankets because the barn is cold at night. They eventually go on strike and refuse to give their milk or eggs. The duck is the mediator in the story.

Text and image: The illustrations are phenomenal. The text and the images correlate wonderfully together. The text is written in an interactive manner. By the end of the book the children are mooing along with the "click, clack, moooo". They always get a chuckle out of the "click, clack, quack" at the end of the book. The text is engaging and comical. You do not expect the duck to choose a side, being that he is the mediator.

Literary Devices: irony (duck), allusion (strike and worker's rights), onomatopoeia (click, clack moo)

Profile Image for Jaime.
549 reviews2 followers
October 7, 2008
A book about the power of literacy and effective communication, told with great humor.
Profile Image for Kimmylongtime.
1,293 reviews130 followers
June 27, 2022
You had me at typing cows and formal complaints. This book was absolutely adorable and the farmer was a legit goat. I really enjoyed reading this story to my son last night so much I read it again for myself.

Happy reading everyone !!
537 reviews
July 7, 2009
We've all heard that the "pen is mightier than the sword" and "the squeaky wheel gets the grease," well in Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, Farmer Brown learns firsthand just how true these adages are when his cows find a typewriter in the barn and demand better treatment.

When Farmer Brown first hears the click-clack sounds coming from the barn, he tries digging out the wax buildup in his ears because cows can't type!

But these cows can, and they nail their demands on the barn wall:

Dear Farmer Brown,

The barn is very cold at night. We'd like some electric blankets.

Sincerely,
The Cows

Farmer Brown will not give in to their demands, so they go on strike and withhold their milk. It's not long before the hens feel the chill in the barn and join the strike.

This puts Farmer Brown in a tizzy because every fool knows you can't run a farm with no milk and no aiggs! So he dusts off his own typewriter and bangs out a letter reminding the cows and hens that they are animals and he demands that they produce for him.

Eventually the two sides come to an agreement, and peace returns to the farm. That is until Duck feels empowered to make his own demands known. Seems what the boring pond has always needed is a diving board.

Click, Clack, Moo rightly received a Caldecott Award in 2001 and was named one of the Best Children's Book by Publisher's Weekly.
Profile Image for Laima.
210 reviews
September 23, 2013
What a funny little book! I read Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type yesterday with 5 year old Abby and 3 year old Emma, my neighbor’s granddaughters.

After the first few pages Abby started to giggle and said she knew what the cows were typing. “They want some electric blankets!”

She had read this book at school and remembered it almost word for word! Both girls laughed uproariously all the way to the end of the book. Then I kept hearing “Again! Again! Read it again!”

The drawings are funny and the story is outrageous. What young child doesn’t like funny animal stories! I’m not surprised that this book earned a Caldicott Honor.
Profile Image for midnightfaerie.
2,259 reviews128 followers
June 20, 2013
Not so much a preschool aged book as for older children. My 5 yr old got a kick out of it and paid attention throughout. The illustrations were adorable and I could see us getting a copy of this and reading it again in the future. Simple story line that had everyone laughing.
Profile Image for Tayebe Ej.
192 reviews40 followers
June 1, 2022
کتاب، طنز شیرین و ساده‌ای داره. ماجرای گاوهایی که هر روز مطالباتشون از کشاورز رو تایپ میکنن و میزنن پشت در طویله. مناسب برای بچه‌های ۷ تا ۹ سال
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,500 reviews

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