The MOOsic Makers

Originally published in the U.K., this uneven farm-to-fame fable follows Celery and Nutmeg, two talented cows who make “that old MOO-grass music.” When a storm blows the roof off their barn, the two start busking to rescue their home. Capturing the notice of a mysterious stranger named George Smarm, the duo is swept up in an exploitative manager-talent relationship, forced to swivel to DisCOW Music, change their image, and suffer embezzlement. The pair resolves to break free and raise funds their own way, conveyed in Bakos’s textural digital art. A subplot concerning an underappreciated sheep and a donkey feels extraneous, and the worldbuilding is inconsistent (only some animals don clothing), but the book serves as a prescient reminder about mooing to one’s own beat. Ages 7–8. (Sept.)