This aimless tale centers on Laloo, a restless calf who utters the title's lament to her mother, Mamoo. The cow's response ("Chew your cud.... Count your stomachs as the green grass travels through you. Have a daydream under the tree. That's what cows d-o-o-o") doesn't satisfy Laloo, who slips through a broken fence and runs away. As she wanders the countryside, the hot, thirsty and tired young animal continually thinks of home and her mother, yet roams on, insisting, "But I want something n-e-w." Mathews's (Nathaniel Willy, Scared Silly) poky plot follows Laloo as she discovers new environments and meets a mouse and raccoon, but nothing ever comes of these encounters; Laloo appears to be apathetic. Cyrus's (Slow Train to Oxmox) effective manipulation of light and perspective gives his watercolor and colored-pencil artwork three-dimensional qualities, especially in scenes of the calf bounding across the hillside in the bright morning sunlight. But even his touching closing images of Mamoo and Laloo reunited can't make up for the emotion missing from the text. Ages 3-6. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

PreS-Gr 1Laloo lives on a farm with her mother. During the day, she plays with the other calves. At night, she and Mamoo sing a cow lullaby together and then snuggle up in the barn. One day, Laloo complains, Theres nothing to d-o-o-o! She slips through an open place in the fence to search for new adventures, exploring a field where she meets a mouse, a forest stream where she meets a raccoon, and a cozy ravine where she falls asleep, all the while thinking of home. Back at the farm, Mamoo begins to look for her child and retraces her steps. When she finds her, she sings the cow lullaby into her ear to wake her and the two are reunited. Although the calfs situation is universal, the author does not make it interesting and the writing is overly cute. However, the watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations are enjoyable, with each scene depicted in loving detail. The pictures radiate the warmth that the writing lacks.Anne Parker, Milton Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Bored, Laloo the calf decides to run away. She explores a grassy meadow, a shady forest, and a gurgling stream before her mother Mamoo's affectionate refrain coaxes her back home. Though offering nothing particularly new, the text adequately captures the familiar childhood desire for independence. Watercolor and colored pencil illustrations convey the lush appeal of Laloo's surroundings. From HORN BOOK Fall 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Ages 4^-7. A calf ventures out into the wide world but not too far for her mother to follow in this bovine billet-doux. Suddenly bored with the "same old pasture, the same old barn," Laloo ignores her mother Mamoo's advice to chew her cud and slips through the fence to another field. After gamboling through the tall grass and refreshing herself at a woodland stream, Laloo settles down for a nap. Hours later, Mamoo wakes her with a gentle song and a nuzzle, then leads her home, promising more chances to explore "Very s-o-o-o-n." Cyrus sets velvety-looking cattle, mice, and other creatures into peaceful, rolling Thomas Hart Benton^-like landscapes dappled with wildflowers. The text's extended vowels create a soothing sonority, and the theme, like that of Margaret Wise Brown's classic Runaway Bunny, promises ex-toddlers new places to visit, but always with someone to lead the way home. --John Peters