The Noodlemans’ dream of agrarian paradise is nearly thwarted by a haunted henhouse. The novice farmers can’t figure out why their 552 chickens aren’t laying; neighbor Farmer Hackett tells them it’s Boo Cow, who haunts the farm “[e]very night at the stroke of twelve.” Sure enough, at midnight they hear, “Thump...Creaaak...Clink-clunk! Clink-clunk!...MOOOOO.” Children who have read the sepia-toned prologue page will not be as surprised as the Noodlemans are to learn that Boo Cow isn’t nearly as malignant as her reputation has it, and Farmer Hackett’s handlebar mustache may clue them in as to the real culprit in the missing-egg mystery. This not-so-frightening ghost story is just right for the Scooby-Doo set, with its appealing greenhorn protagonists and deliberately paced story. Apple’s soft, bucolic illustrations gently milk the situation for all its available humor.

First-time farmers Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman are thrilled with the purchase of 552 brand new chickens. "By tomorrow... we'll be up to our eyeballs in eggs!" Mr. Noodleman exclaims. To their dismay, the barn is visited each night by Boo Cow, a bovine ghost whose "soft but unmistakable moo" is so terrifying that the chickens cannot lay a single egg. The Noodlemans devise all sorts of schemes to solve their haunting problem, including a consultation with a psychic, a pink fluffy nightgown for each chicken, and even a confrontation with Boo Cow herself ("Stop it, Boo Cow!... Your ugly mug has frightened its last chicken! Scram! Hit the road! And don't come back!") But is Boo Cow really the cause of the commotion? The Noodlemans' determination to have eggs for breakfast, no matter what, is tempered by the book's overarching messages of protection and forgiveness. A mix of mystery and hilarity, Baehr's (Mouse in the House) story is made far from frightening by Apple's (Little Goose) soft pencil illustrations, as well as an ending that will leave children assured of Boo Cow's gentle nature.

Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman purchase 552 hens with the idea of selling eggs, but the chickens don't lay any. A neighbor tells Mr. Noodleman that a ghostly cow is haunting the coop and frightening the hens. That night, the Noodlemans hear stomping and clanging noises coming from the henhouse. It's Boo Cow! After several similar nights, Mrs. Noodleman takes four chickens into the house and settles them on the foot of the bed, hoping for enough eggs for breakfast. That night Boo Cow enters the bedroom and frightens everyone. Mrs. Noodleman shoos her away, and the four chickens produce some eggs. Still no eggs appear in the henhouse. Finally, the farmers move their own bed out to the coop, where they discover the real thief. The lead and pastel pencil illustrations are soft and dreamy, and perfect for a ghost story. All of the faces, human, chicken, and ghost, are expressive. However, there are too many unanswered questions, such as why the ghost cow is there, leaving parents with a lot of explaining to do.

In this humorous and sweet but rarely scary ghost story, Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman realize their dream of being farmers by restoring a derelict farm, purchasing 552 chickens, and opening the Chicken Noodle Farm. The only problem is that the farm is haunted by a ghost cow that seems to frighten the chickens so much they refuse to lay. Later, however, the culprit is revealed to be a neighboring farmer with his own egg business. Boo Cow, in fact, helps the Noodlemans apprehend the villian, and the family, chickens, and ghost cow live happily ever after. Softly rendered with pencil and muted pastels and featuring cartoonish characters, the illustrations play up the humor with a ghost that looks soft and cuddly and anything but menacing. With a text chockful of action and playful words, this offbeat story will be popular for storytimes.

You know I love children's picture books, but this one is special! Have you ever heard of a boo cow?

Charlesbridge provided me with a copy of this book for review, and I appreciate it. Margot Apple did the illustrations and her animals are sweet and cute, even the ghost.

Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman had always wanted to be farmers and finally managed to afford an old, run-down farm in the country. They named it the Chicken Noodle Farm and got ready to raise chickens. Once they got their 552 chickens, they were looking forward to having more eggs than they knew what to do with.

Somehow, that just didn't work out. They kept checking the nests and didn't understand why they didn't have any eggs. So Mr. Noodleman walked to the next farm and asked Farmer Hackett about it. Come to find out, their Chicken Noodle Farm had a ghost named Boo Cow. Mr. Hackett said the ghost scared the chickens and that was why they weren't laying. But was that true???

This book is for children in the 4-7 age range. The ghost isn't scary and it reads a bit like a fairy tale. This book is currently available in your local bookstore. How about a fun book for Halloween?

Having always dreamed of living in the country and farming, Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman took their savings, bought an old farm and said good-bye to city life.

Once they fixed the place up and installed a new chicken yard, the couple ordered 552 chickens and were ready for some serious egg production. But, alas, the chickens did not produce any eggs. Every morning they checked the hen house, the Noodlemans found nothing but empty nests.

What could the problem be? Consulting a neighbor, Mr. Noodleman was told, 'It's not you, it's the ghost! Every night, at the stroke of twelve, Boo Cow haunts your farm! The chickens must be too scared to lay eggs!'

Sure enough, the couple discovered they had purchased a haunted farm! They tried hanging garlic about the hen house, they consulted a psychic, and they even brought some of the hens into their bedroom, but the spectral visitor wouldn't go away.

Totally at their wits' end, the Noodlemans were about to toss in the towel when they realized that it was not the ghostly bovine that was the problem. No, there was a far simpler solution to the mystery of the empty chicken nests.

A picture book with an excellent story as well as top notch illustrations, Boo Cow offers some surprising and clever twists in this tale of the mysterious, disappearing eggs. Since there is more text here than in the usual picture book, I would think this would be an excellent transition story that would move young readers towards books with fewer pictures or no illustrations at all.

Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman packed in their city life to open a chicken farm in the country. But when their chickens don’t produce any eggs after days of trying, the Noodlemans discover the legend of Boo Cow from a neighbouring farmer.

Could it be true? Could the ghost of a cow be frightening the chickens into not laying eggs? The Noodlemans decide to sleep out in the barn, to comfort the chickens and confront Boo Cow is she arrives and are greeted with a surprise.

Boo Cow is a wonderful story that all 3 of my kids enjoyed. Although the story does have a ghost in it, Boo Cow is not the frightening ghost type. That’s not to say there weren’t tense moments when we read the story but the delightful twist in the ending banished any fear the kids may have had.

The illustrations add to the warm, tender tale and even soften the appearance of Boo Cow, adding to her gentle nature.

I enjoyed the story of Boo Cow on many levels. I love the determination of the Noodlemans to give up what they knew to try something different and perhaps scary. I love that even when things weren’t going as planned they stuck it out and worked together to make things happen, even going as far as having some chickens sleep in the house with them. And of course the story of Boo Cow and her ‘mother hen’ involvement with the chickens themselves is wonderful.

When Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman's new chickens don't lay eggs, their neighbor, farmer Hackett, tells them it's because ghostly Boo Cow is scaring the hens. The Noodlemans try various strategies to get rid of Boo Cow, only to discover that she's a friendly ghost, and their neighbor, farmer Hackett, had been stealing the eggs and blaming poor, sweet Boo Cow. Apple's gentle pencil and pastel illustrations keep the story from being too frightening, and young readers will find great satisfaction in the ending when Boo Cow apprehends the thief.

Thumps in the night and a ghostly Moooooooo have the farmers and the hens upset. The farmers are new at farming and this is just too much. The hens can't lay any eggs with this kind of disturbance! The funny story has twists and turns that keep readers guessing as the farmers seek a solution.

When Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman left the city and moved to the country and raise chickens, the couple wasn't ready for the surprise that awaited them on the farm purchased. It was haunted by Boo Cow.

Convinced that the ghostly apparition of Boo Cow was spooking their 552 chickens and keeping them from laying eggs, the couple launched a campaign to rid themselves of the spectral cow.

After trying everything to chase Boo Cow away, the beleaguered chicken farmers suddenyl discover that Boo Cow is not the source of their problems. There's a far more earthbound reason they aren't collecting eggs from the hen house every morning!

A funny story with the kinds of twists and surprises not usually found in picture books like this, Boo Cow is perfect for read aloud sessions or for a child who is already reading.

The mystery surrounding the Noodleman's farm is hard one to solve. 552 chickens won't lay but a single egg because of a haunting from a boo cow. An unexpected turn of events for sure! This was a way cute story.

Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman move into a dilapidated farm house and fix up the chicken coop, but a ghostly cow soon haunts their hens. Day after day, the Noodlemans check the nests, but no eggs are forthcoming. Is the spectral bovine scaring the chickens? What exactly does she want? In this playful narrative—part ghost story, part mystery—the Noodlemans, with the help of Boo Cow, track down the real culprit. The ending finds the husband and wife dining on eggs benedict and enjoying regular visits from their friendly bovine ghost. Margot Apple’s illustrations of expressive animals perfectly complement the gently humorous tone of Patricia Baehr’s story.

Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman had always dreamed of being farmers. After years of saving they could finally buy their own farm. They fix up the barn and buy 552 chickens. They are up to their eyeballs in eggs in the morning. When the next morning comes there are no eggs! They find out that their barn is haunted by Boo Cow each night; can the Noodlemans figure out a way to send away this ghostly cow or will an unexpected twist of events lead them somewhere else? Boo Cow is a great book to promote interaction among children and it will keep them guessing until the end.