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  • Millie and the Big Rescue by Alexander Steffensmeier
  • Jeannette Hulick
Steffensmeier, Alexander . Millie and the Big Rescue; written and illus. by Alexander Steffensmeier; tr. from the German. Walker, 2013. [40p]. Library ed. ISBN 978-0-8027-3403-7 $17.89 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-8027-3402-0 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R 4-6 yrs.

Millie the cow loves to play hide-and-seek with the other farm animals, but one day she hides a little too well in the top of a large tree and becomes stuck. One by one the other animals, and even the farmer, try to rescue her, only to become stuck themselves. The farmer enlists the hens (the only ones capable of going up and down at will) to carry a message to a neighbor while Millie and the animals enjoy cake and tea (also fetched by the hens) as they await rescue. When finally back on the ground, the farmer offers cake to the rescuing firefighters and the neighbor, only to [End Page 116] discover the cake is still up in the tree. The entire party returns to the branches to enjoy a snack and the lovely view. The writing in this German import is steady and amusing: "'This is so relaxing,' the farmer said. 'As long [as] nobody has to use the bathroom.'" The various antics of the farm animals, particularly the chickens (one continually sports a Sherlock-style deerstalker, one tries unsuccessfully to hide headfirst in a birdhouse), and Millie's pop-eyed bewilderment are sure to evoke chuckles as well. The deftly drafted illustrations sport thickly dappled color framed by thin black lines; the large page size will lend the book to group sharing, although kids will need to get close to appreciate all the details of the animals' actions. This could be easily incorporated into farm- and cow-themed storytimes or units, but plan to share it twice in any case, once for the story and once for the illustrations.

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