Cows

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This is a wonderful little book, and a breeze to read. Young has a deep respect and affection for the animals in her charge, and a great knowledge of sustainable and ethical organic farming. Her years of experience tending to animals is a fitting testament (if you still needed it) to the fact that all creatures, including cows, have their own unique personhoods - thoughts, feelings, imaginations, desires - just like humans do.

Det er en fin lille bog, og der er mange gode fortællinger, men jeg nåede også til at punkt, hvor jeg var lidt mættet i de mange historier fra Kite’s Nest. Jeg savnede mere videnskabelig opbakning og konkrete fakta, men jeg anerkender samtidig også, at det netop er narrativet, der gør den lille bog til noget ganske særligt. Den er både vedkommende og tankevækkende og introduktionen burde være pligtlæsning for enhver. I guess my biggest struggle with this book, and it appears to be the same thing for a lot of reviewers, is how Young talked so lovingly of these cows all the way through but in the end, she slaughtered them anyway. That feels bizarre to me. Factory farmers don’t care about the animals so there is no feeling there when they are killed. With Young, she talked about these cows as though they were pet dogs. You wouldn’t kill your pet dog! It just didn’t sit right with me and I can assure you it still wouldn’t have if I was still eating meat. Young’s animal stories are truly charming and quietly convincing of the great value of a more natural form of farming.”– Booklist

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I’m vegetarian myself, but I don’t have an issue with others eating meat. I just think everyone should take a minute to think about what they’re consuming and make better choices. Try and buy locally and organic etc. This is something I thought this book might touch on a little, as the author herself owns a farm, but it was far more about what cows are like as animals, which was totally fine! Until she started anthropomorphising them to the extreme! Our children love stories with animals in them, especially because there are so many amazing authors and illustrators who bring the animal characters to life through their writing and illustrations. These books are no exception. The children and I enjoyed all of these fiction picture books with cow characters in them and there are a couple of good non-fiction cow books in the mix too. The typical cow chews cud for up to 8 hours a day, moving its jaws around 40,000 times in the process. [5]

We all know them. The dog or cat owners who find their pet's daring dos so astounding/ hilarious / ingenious / entertaining / adorable that they corner you for twenty minutes at lunch to tell you endless stories about them.In a decaying apartment: a mother, a son and a paralysed dog. Monstrously fat and murderously driven, referred to only as The Hagbeast, the mother employs her own unique version of dinnertime cuisine as she attempts to bring about the demise of her only child.​ Undervejs glemmer læseren næsten, at det er køer, der er hovedpersonerne i Youngs fortællinger, for hun beskriver deres individualitet som værende lige så forskellig og kompleks som menneskers. Hos Kite’s Nest har de intelligente køer, dovne køer, stædige køer, generte køer, udadvendte køer og alle de andre egenskaber, man sædvanligvis knytter til en menneskelig personlighed. Men Young beskriver samtidig også, hvordan alle disse karaktertræk går tabt, hvis ikke køer får lov til at udfolde sig og udvikle deres egen unikke personlighed.

It is a short book and there is a lot of padding. Lists 20 points long, saying things like, 'cows nurse grudges, cows take umbrage, cows can be unpredictable, cows can be dependable" with similar lists for pigs, sheep and hens are just filler and don't impress. Her insight is unexpectedlycharming and fascinating- so much so that she has channeled everything she has learned about these creatures into awonderfully evocative and enlighteningbook… Many amusing anecdotes which illustrate the warmth of feeling between the family and their individual animals… Touching…A wonderful and heartwarming story.” — Mail on Sunday (UK)A small classic.But while her book isgently humorous, it is not a spoof. Cows really are diverse characters with eventful inner lives… Drawing on decades of experience, Young hasa serious messageconcerning non-intensive, compassionate farming.” — Financial Times