Click, Clack, Moo--Cows That Type . . . and more amusing animal tales

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The Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD series is getting to the point where we're starting to see stories recombined, so fans of the series trying to build a collection have to pay close attention. "Click Clack Moo--Cows That Type," the title story on this latest disc, was also the lead title on a 2003 release that included different companion tales except for one in common--"The Cow Who Fell in the Canal."

If you've already got the typing cows in your barn full of children's videos, then you probably don't need this title. And if you don't have the animated film adaptation of Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin's Caldecott Honor Book, it's a toss-up which release is the one to buy.

The previous version also offered "The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash," "The Cow Who Fell in the Canal," and "The Pig's Wedding," along with "Charlie Needs a Cloak" by Tomie de Paola. This one features the title story along with "The Cow Who Fell in the Canal," "Chicken Little," "I, Crocodile," "Hot Hippo," "Waiting for Wings," and the live-action "Let's Give Kitty a Bath." And it's a mixed bag, this new release.

Click Clack Moo--Cows That Type is a whimsical story about cows who find an old typewriter in the barn and use it to communicate with the farmer who depends upon them for milk. The note they post on the barn door reads, "Dear Farmer Brown, the barn is really cold at night. We'd like some electric blankets. Sincerely, the cows." And when Farmer Brown doesn't come through with the blankets, the cows type another not saying they're on strike. Then chickens get into the act, and the cows inform the farmer they're not producing any more eggs, either, until conditions improve. It sounds like a French union story, but the colorful graphics and Randy Travis's folksy narration (he also did the voiceover for "Anabelle's Wish") make this seem all-American. It's a strong story that should appeal to children ages 1-6.

The Cow Who Fell in the Canal, by Phillis Krasilovsky, has charming Old World-style illustrations by Peter Spier and tells the story of a Dutch cow named Hendrika who's tired of her life. All she does is eat grass and hay all day, at the encouragement of her owner, Mr. Hofstra the farmer. The more she eats, the more milk she produces. Except that a horse named Peter tells her about the city and all the sights of the marketplace, and Hendrika looks at the boats going down the canal with longing. She falls into the canal, can't climb up the bank again, but does manage to climb onboard an old abandoned raft that floats by, and she gets the ride of her life, meandering through the countryside into the big city. There, people try to catch her, but she eventually finds her farmer and he brings her home. Her souvenir? A green hat and the memories of the trip that now sustain her. This charming story is also a strong one for the same age range.

Chicken Little, retold and illustrated by Steven Kellogg, is narrated by none other than Helen Hunt and Hank Azaria. It's a quirky version that has a nervous style of drawing that matches the personality of the little hen who thought, when an acorn hit her on the head, that the sky was falling. Foxy Loxy is on a wanted poster in this version, which strays a bit from the traditional into the unconventional. It's a solid story, but one that's so oddly rendered that it might not appeal to everyone.

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