Minnie and Moo and the Musk of Zorro » (1 ED)

Udderly hilarious!

Minnie and Moo are back in two new tales, the latest in the series that the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books called "the cream of the beginning-reader crop."

Moo longs for the days of heroes, the days of the derring-do of good-deed doers. As Juanita del Zorro del Moo and Dolores del Zorro del Minnie, our heroes roam the farm armed with an aerosol can of Zorro musk and a barbecue skewer, attempting to rescue the downtrodden. Can they free the chickens from the oppression of the rooster? Can they free the farmer's long underwear from being hung on the clothesline? Can they mind their own business? Of course not...they're Minnie and Moo.

Children's Literature

Two loopy cows create some barnyard mayhem when Moo reads about Zorro in The Musk of Zorro. Lamenting that all the heroes have gone, the two remember a trunk of old clothes in the barn and dress up as Juanita and Dolores del Zorro, save the chickens from a clueless rooster and mark the farmer's long underwear with the letters PU setting off the farmer's wife who is sure that it's that Elsie Maxwell from the neighboring farm. While there's plenty of slapstick plus the ludicrous cows walking upright here, much of the humor (including the pun about the "musk" of Zorro and the resulting spray deodorant usage) will sail right by the beginning reader. As a family read-aloud, it's a hoot, though, and each member will enjoy this book differently even as they enjoy it together. Part of the "Minnie and Moo" series. 2000, DK Publishing, Ages 5 to 8, $12.95 and $3.95. Reviewer: Susan Hepler