Genre: Children's/Board Book
Pages: 44
Published: October, 2008
Publisher: Jumping Cow Press
Where to buy: Amazon

I recently was given the opportunity to review the children's book Cows Can't Jump by Dave Reisman and illustrated by Jason A. Mass. I was sent a board book and a regular page book and the girls couldn't have been more thrilled - they each had a copy and haven't put them down yet.

Cows Can't Jump is a delightfully silly book that helps children make connections with their favourite animals all the while teaching them about some of the things they can do (ie. Pigs can't fly… but they can wallow!). My girls just love this book and it has become a new staple in our daily reading! The girls absolutely love the pictures and the bright and fun illustrations really hold their attention. I loved the way the book followed a nice pattern so that Sweetpea (3 years old) could start to follow the rhythm and 'read along' with me. At this point her reading consists of memorizing and this book was just perfect for her.

I highly recommend this fun book to families with young children and early readers.

Author Interview with Dave Reisman

Thanks for visiting us at Hands and Home! My children and I have loved reading Cows Can’t Jump!

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I live in a suburb of New York City with my wife and three kids, ages 11, 15 and 17 and my "day job" is working as a lawyer in the financial services area. I dedicated Cows Can’t Jump to my family in appreciation of all the special moments we spent together reading bedtime stories when our kids were growing up. By the way, when I first created the book it was my younger two children who suggested that I contact their elementary school art teacher, Jason Maas, for the illustrations – a fantastic choice in every way!

When did you first start writing children’s stories? How did you know you wanted to be a children’s author?

Cows Can’t Jump is my first children’s story. I have always been interested in publishing, having worked on my high school and law school newspapers, as well as media generally, having been the general manager and disc jockey at my college radio station. When I first thought of the phrase "Cows can’t jump" I thought it was funny, and would be perfect for a young kids’ picture book.

What was your favourite book/author growing up?

My favourite book growing up was A Fish Out of Water by Helen Palmer. When he was a little boy it was our oldest son’s favorite children’s book as well! He called it "Fish Boom" because of the part in the story when the fish, along with the bathtub full of water that it’s in, overflows, knocks open the bathroom door and comes rushing down the stairs in the little boy’s home.

What other projects are you working on right now?

I’m finishing up the final design details of the follow-up book, Cows Can’t Quack, so it can be sent to the printer alter this month. I’m also just starting the process to create an app, for the iPad/iPhone and Google Android devices, of Cows Can’t Jump, which I’m very excited about.

What is your favourite animal (From Sweetpea – the 3 year old)?

My favourite animals are cats. We have two at home – Silvy is our female cat and Jeb is our male cat — and they are like members of our family.

What colour do you like the most (From Ladybug – the 2 year old)?

My favorite color is blue – especially the blue color of the sky in the Cows Can’t Jump illustrations.

Can you tell us 5 random facts about yourself?

- My most memorable moments as a children’s author have been my author visits to our local elementary school and pre-school.

- My favorite exercise is to go for an hour-long run on horse trails in a State Park near our home.

- I love to spend time at the ocean and beach.

- My favorite board games are Scrabble and Risk.

- I am most productive in the morning.

10 fast favorites:

• Coffee or tea? Coffee
• Summer or Winter? Summer
• Hockey or Baseball? Baseball
• Chocolate or Chips? Chocolate
• Comedy or Thrillers (applies to books or movies)? Comedy
• Favourite food? Mexican food
• Favourite place to visit? Los Angeles
• Favourite place to read? On the train ride to and from work
• Favourite book? A Confederacy of Dunces
• Favourite author? Anthony Burgess

Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us today!

Thank you!

I was given 2 free copies of Cows Can't Jump by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

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