Horn Book Review
A trolley driver counts passengers by twos as they board. He loses count when a cow pushes her way on. ""Mooove over,"" she shouts, and the others retreat until she has the trolley to herself. When the driver discovers the problem, he banishes the cow and re-counts the animals. The whimsical illustrations do not clarify counting by twos. Endnotes include math activities. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Counting by twos gets a little animalish in this tale of a rude bovine traveler. A driver with room for 20 passengers counts each pair as they board his trolley. Ducks, geese, sheep, pigs, and horses all climb up and find seats. But when a herd of kids boards, a cow cuts in line and the driver loses count. The weary cow asks each pair in turn if they have enough room. As they respond affirmatively, she demands they "mooove over" to make room for her, her bags, her picnic lunch, and her beach chair. When the driver notices the passengers on the roof and only the cow left on the trolley, he ejects her as "one too many." Meisel's colorful illustrations fit the tale perfectly, with the sweet facial expressions of the cow lending surprise to her rude behavior. Not only will readers learn to count by twos, they will also learn the words used to describe pairs: duet, couple, twosome, partners. The final page lists five other math-related activities that can be used to extend the concepts in this funny story. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
