Click, clack, moo.

Click, clack, moo.

Clickety-clack, moo.

Whether you’ve grown up with it or you read it to your kids, Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type is a modern classic that you should have on your bookshelf. But what makes this silly story so good? Dive in with me as we explore this barnyard tale and learn how to apply author Doreen Cronin’s techniques to our own writing.

Here’s what makes it work:

Absurdity based in reality. This book is known for its quirky sense of humor. For those who aren’t familiar, Click, Clack, Moo follows a herd of cows who’ve obtained their farmer’s old typewriter. They use the typewriter to make demands and nail them on the barn door each morning. What do cows demand, you ask? Electric blankets. (“The barn is very cold at night,” they write.)

This concept is wild, but it’s rooted in something true. Animals will gladly tell you what they want, as any pet owner knows. Cats purr when they’re pleased. Dogs bark when they want to go out for a walk. My dog looks into my eyes and paws at my leg if she wants attention. Every animal has their own unique way of communicating. For these cows, it’s through the written word.

Adding a level of humor and absurdity to an everyday concept is a great idea for a picture book. Find a twist on an old topic – bedtime routines, going to school, birthdays – and consider adding an unusual twist. Why not write a bedtime book set in a princess’s castle, or create a birthday party that’s disrupted by an alien spaceship landing? This gives your story a sense of excitement and surprise, making readers ask for more!

A strong repeater line. A repeater line, also called a refrain, is just what it sounds like – a sentence or phrase that repeats. This line is often a call to action, encouraging little readers to repeat it and join in. Think “Chicka chicka boom boom, will there be enough room?”

In this book, the line is:

Click, clack, moo.

Click, clack, moo.

Clickety-clack, moo.

You can create a fun repeater line for your story, too. Play around with sounds until you find one that’s right for your story. Try using sound effects – onomatopoeia, like “moo” or “boom” or “squawk”. Experiment with alliteration and rhyme schemes, but don’t worry if your repeater line doesn’t rhyme. In Bear Snores On, each verse ends with “But the bear snored on”, making the rhyme scheme A-B-A-B-C. This line emphasizes the point of the story – Bear snores on even though all the noisy woodland animals are coming into his cave. In Click, Clack, Moo, the repeater line is not only funny, but it highlights the growing tension between Farmer Brown and the cows on strike.

If you’d like to learn more about writing good refrains, check out this article from Writer’s Digest. It’s full of good tips from children’s authors!

Using big words in context. You’ll notice I mentioned cows on strike. How does Cronin explain what a “strike” is to a preschooler who’s hopefully never witnessed one? Simple – through a note written by the cows:

Sorry.

We’re closed.

No milk today.

It’s short and gets the point across. Farmer Brown won’t give the cows electric blankets, so the cows won’t give Farmer Brown any milk. The cows are on strike.

Cronin’s vocabulary is robust. I’d argue the most complex sentence in the story is this:

Duck was a neutral party, so he brought the ultimatum to the cows.

How do you explain all these big words to kids? By pointing at the picture. Duck is walking toward the barn with Farmer Brown’s note in his beak. Without this picture, most kids would be scratching their heads. This sentence adds to the story’s absurdity. It’s not every day that a duck is caught between some stubborn bovines and a furious farmer.

Incorporating big words in your story is possible as long as you provide context! Try to give kids context clues within the sentence, for example, “Benny loved to play music on his accordion.” A child may have never seen an accordion, but they can tell it must be an instrument since Benny loves to play music with it. You could also consider writing illustration notes in your manuscript so children can understand a sentence’s meaning through its illustration.

It’s also good to include simple explanations if a certain word is important to your story. For example, I am currently writing a picture book explaining MRIs. I didn’t want to interrupt the story with a sidebar of definitions, so I answered my character’s questions about MRIs through simple dialogue. If the child or parent wants to learn more, they can flip to the back of the book and find a handy glossary of terms. Keep a children’s dictionary at hand or speak to an expert to learn how they would describe a certain word or topic to a child.

Sometimes, we can get bogged down in creating a perfect story. We worry that kids won’t understand if we use complex words. If you’re sure the word is the best one for the job, then keep it. Using big words gives parents and children opportunities to talk about the book long after they’ve read it. The child could learn a fun fact about this word and use this knowledge to impress his friends!

Click, Clack, Moo is an endearing book that’s held up well with its silly cows and catchy repeater line! I love studying the craft of picture books. Do you have a favorite picture book that you’d like me to blog about? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear more about your writing and your thoughts on Click, Clack, Moo!

Happy writing! 😊