The Cow in Patrick O’Shanahan’s Kitchen,
by Diana Prichard, illustrated by Heather Devlin Knopf,
Little Pickle Press,
3701 Scramento St., San Francisco, California, 94118,
30 pages, eight x 11-inch hardcover,
What is a cow doing in Patrick O’Shanahan’s kitchen?
And what are hens doing in his refrigerator?
Providing breakfast, of course.
Diana Prichard is a farmer who wants children to know where their food
originates.
“Watching people who have little or no practical knowledge of
agriculture dominate our national discourse on food and farming is extremely
frustrating,” she says.
“I wanted to contribute a positive and informed message for parents and
kids.”
The book shows how milk comes from squeezing a cow’s teat and how eggs
are gathered from underneath hens.
Unfortunately, it’s presented in fairy-tale fashion and so I wonder what
children actually learn.
I read it to two of my grandchildren, ages three and five. It certainly
grabbed their attention.
On subsequent visits to our home, the book passed the litmus test for
popularity; when I asked which of dozens of books they wanted me to read, they
picked this one. Every time.
Pritchard and Knopf deserve a lot of kudos for creating the book. Rather
than simply complaining about urban ignorance about where food comes from, they
have done something constructive.
