" In Cow Tales, you will be taken back to farming in the 1960s but before long you will be on an unexpected ride through the writer’s imagination. These stories resurrect the lost art of telling tall tales that were common long before television. Cow Tales stories are told from the perspective of a young California boy who is thrust into life in the country. The boy’s life is told with the rawness of farm life that may not be known to the urban reader. Each of the experiences becomes the platform that takes the reader on a fantastic ride of improbability 1 - The Exodus A young Californian boy inadvertently stumbles on a mob boss threatening a toy store owner. He and his family decide to move to a farm in Iowa to start a new life away from the mob. 2 - Draft Horses and Hay Grandpa tells the story of how different it is to make hay with a draft horse and what happens when things go wrong. 3 - Keeping Bees The trials of an outhouse are explored while the boy determines his 4H farm project will be to raise bees. In the process, he finds several stinging adventures. 4 - Summer Lightning Storm Storms in Iowa can be a serious event, especially with baseball-sized hail and lightning that hit a hen hours. 5 - Brownies and Honey In the 1920s Grandpa grew hemp for making rope but in the 1960s the hemp had some surprising effects on the family. 6 – Haystack Before bails, barns were filled with loose hay but sometimes it came with something more than alfalfa and clover. 7- The Playground Children in the 1960s found surprisingly different ways to use playground equipment which may be why some are no longer found in school yards. 8 - Insect Friends Butterflies, Cicadas, bees, worms, and ants are trying to tell the boy something and it is up to him to figure out their message. 9 - Hawk Fishing Fishing is a great past-time until your competition is a hawk. 10*- The Christmas Fawn A doe gives up her life so that her fawn might be sent on a special mission to a distraught daughter. *Contains some descriptions that may not be suitable for young readers "-amazon.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.