The first-person narrative, written partly in prose and partly in free verse, features a city girl facing challenges that strengthen her body and broaden her thinking. Reena learns to show her at the upcoming fair. From their first job, shoveling manure, they progress to putting a halter on moody Zora, the Belted Galloway cow they gradually befriend. Falala, an elderly Italian woman who needs help with her cow. Almost immediately, their mother volunteers their services to Mrs. When 12-year-old Reena, her younger brother, and their parents move from New York City to a small town in Maine, the differences are apparent: a slower pace and a quieter place where the kids are free to bike around town on their own.

Would I know what to do and how to be in Maine? Was there room inside for the sights and sounds and smells of Maine? Falala, who has a pig named Paulie, a cat named China, a snake named Edna-and one very ornery cow named Zora.įrom Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech comes a lovely and uplifting story of how a little kindness can change lives, reminding us that if you’re open to new experiences, life offers surprises.

Instead, her parents “volunteer” Reena and Luke to work for an eccentric neighbor named Mrs. She’s ready for beaches, blueberries, and all the lobster she can eat. When twelve-year-old Reena, her little brother, Luke, and their parents move to Maine, Reena doesn’t know what to expect. When we reached the gate Luke scrambled up and over it instead of through it and I was trying to follow when Zora’s ENORMOUS HEAD loomed up below me and bumped me into the air

Moo book sharon creech