Myron's Magic Cow
Originally uploaded by Jagosilver.
The author,(Marlene Newman) just sent me this review of Myron's Magic Cow from Publisher’s Weekly 12/19/05
MYRON'S MAGIC COW
Marlene Newman, illus. by Jago. Barefoot, $16.99 (40pp) ISBN 1-84148-496-2
Mundane reality and the fantastic combine as a boy encounters some familiar characters in Newman's fanciful debut. When Myron's mother sends him for milk ("Out of the apartment, down the hall, into the elevator, through the lobby and up the busy street he went"), British artist Jago uses five panel illustrations to heighten the drama in the routine errand, hinting that bigger things await.
Surprise indeed lurks around the corner: a blonde girl with a giant cow approaches Myron, explaining, "A dopey guy who said his name was Jack just traded her with me.... You need milk and I need money-so let's cut a deal." Myron suddenly finds himself holding the cow's leash while the girl and three bears zoom off in a car.
On the way home the cow talks, then reveals herself to be a genie, granting Marvin three wishes (e.g., someone else has to run errands for a while).
Jago's uncluttered full-bleed spreads and carefully framed vignettes charmingly convey the extraordinary in the ordinary, as when Myron, calling "I'll be there in a minute, Mama," sits on a stool milking the cow whose leash hangs from the apartment radiator.
If the tale takes a circuitous route, the artwork stays right on target, credibly integrating imaginative elements into a child's everyday world.
Ages 7-9. (Sept.)
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