Dadblamed Union Army Cow

by Susan Fletcher

Book Overview

She just won't git! A Union army soldier can't shake his dadblamed cow in this uplifting tale based on a true story.

"That dadblamed cow!" She follows her owner into the Union army and then straight on south to fight in the war. She needs unstomped grass to eat, she gets stuck in the mud, and she's just plain dangerous in battle. But this peculiar cow also gives the weary soldiers some surprising comforts. Based on stories and...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076362263X
• ISBN13: 9780763622633
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.7" x 11.2"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Miss Cow With Personality

When a young man joins the Union Army and marches south, his devoted cow marches with him. The cow refuses to leave him throughout the war and saves his life, both on bivouac and in the hospital, with her nourishing milk. The soldier hides his deep affection for her by constantly referring to her as, "Dadblamed Cow." Based on a true story, this fictionalized soldier tells of his war experiences in the first person. The cow, however, is the wonderful star - despite her limited vocabulary. The artist captures both cow and man humorously, despite the severity of the setting. She has a positive genius for depicting a love-sick cow's expressions. This is the most wonderful cow EVER!

A good read for all ages.

In the genre of stories about pets, this book takes a unusual look at this "dadblamed" cow, a constant companion, pet, of an Union Army soldier during the Civil war. There are delightful details - can you imagine a cow following the young man to the recruiting office? The story is based on true events, as reported in newspapers of the time, and it tells details of the sort of battles that were waged in the Civil War, from the viewpoint of the dadblamed cow. The reader is given a picture of this terrible war that is not so tragic as most accounts. It's an enjoyable book for the young and old alike.

An interesting, off-beat children's book

I bought this on the strength of a review in the Wall St Journal and was happy I did. I thought my 6 year old godson would like it better than his 5 year old sister since it was about a cow going to war (uh oh, sexist stereotyping), but his sister likes it best. Dadblamed cow says MOO a lot in the book and she likes to say MOO right along with him. The language is 19th century slangy with a musical cadence to it. The contribution that dadblamed cow made to her buddies in the regiment, and her refusal to leave them behind is heartwarming.