black rabbit homestead

MIDNIGHT MOO springs into action and offers to help CRANKY COW tame her tantrums in this educational and inspiring story full of whimsical, hand-drawn illustrations.

Ever wonder what it’s like to hand-milk an uncooperative cow? Well, it’s a lot like trying to get a free-spirited toddler to eat their dinner or put on their clothes. In fact, most of my farm life experiences have uniquely prepared me for motherhood. Some days, a destructive pig would escape her pen as easily as my one-and-a-half-year-old opens the child gate. Then, that same escaped pig would knock over and chew up everything that she could find-not much different from what my house looks like after my boys dump out all their toys. Other days, a mischievous horse would steal something that he shouldn’t have. As a parent, I’m sure you know how difficult it is to keep those grabby hands off everything. And then, when everything seems like it’s going well, a duck somehow ends up stuck on the roof. My second child is a climber. Enough said. However, at the end of the day, I feel like I’ve been here before. I’ve already survived these challenges. My animals have already tested me in every way imaginable. I’ve got this. I hope so.

There is one thing that my animals didn’t prepare me for: story time. Animals didn’t make for a very engaging audience. My children require more, and they get tired of the same stories read over and over and over. So, I decided to make some new ones. Each night as we prepared for bed, my eldest son and I created new characters and imagined their adventures. I subtly guided the story into teachable moments where I addressed whatever recent issue we might have been having. With Cranky Cow, I helped my then two-year-old learn to listen to what his body was telling him. Was he hungry? Tired? What was bothering him? He now has no problem expressing exactly what makes him upset and what he might need to try to remedy it.

I then wondered if my stories could help other families as well. I think they can. So, I dug out my old art supplies and got to work. And, after a bit of hard work, here I am, ready to share. It is my sincere hope that my stories can offer a helping hand to all the stressed-out parents and, with some luck, resonate with your children as they did with mine. Let’s all get one step closer to raising confident, capable little people ready to take on the world.