Book review: Bash and the Chocolate Milk Cows

A few months ago I was asked if I would read and review a Christian children's book. I jumped at the chance! I read through the descriptions and age and decided on one that would fit my 8 year olds. I read them Bash and the Chocolate Milk Cows by Burton W. Cole. It is the second book in this series. 

The girls and I read a few chapters each day but between finishing up our school year and vacation it took a little longer than I planned for but we did it!! They enjoyed both me reading to them and then having them read parts and retell it to me. 

My girls read a little above grade level. The reading was just right thought the book contained a lot of onomatopoeia that I had to explain to one of my girls. She was confused when reading it on her own. Once we went over it and discussed it she caught on and it made it easier for her to read and comprehend. 

It took us a few chapters to get into the book. We are not farm people so I had to explain some things to the girls like milk machines, chicken coops, and general stores. 

Most  of the characters go by nicknames so we had to make a chart of who was who to keep everyone straight. Many of the animals had very long but humorous names that we also kept track of. Once we had a system for keeping all the names organized it was a much smoother read for the girls. 

The book has many teachable moments which as a homeschooler I enjoyed! We discussed vocabulary, kept character notes, drew a setting, acted out scenes, did retellings, and more! 

There were Christian teachable moments woven throughout as well. The main one being how to help kids understand baptism. My girls have both been baptized so they understood the parts of the book that discussed it. Bible passages were written about along with a amary of the verses from a kids perspective. I liked the comparison to baptism transforming you like a tadpole transforms into a frog. The book also mentioned praying and listening for what God wants you to do and how he answers prayers. Sometimes He answers them just like we expect and sometimes He answers them in the most unexpected way! This is such a great lesson for kids to learn early. 

The story itself was quite cute and funny! One cousin visits his other cousin on his farm for spring break just in time to play some pranks for April Fools day. Bash, the farm boy, is full of the love of God but also full of fun and mischievous ideas. His cousins Beamer is more reserved and has a hard time learning to let go and just have fun. There are some minor characters in the story that help Bash and Beamer with many of the pranks anpretend play such as using a chicken coop as a space shuttle, painting a goat, making a kayak from a barrel, and helping cows make chocolate milk! 

There were references in the book about boyfriend/girlfriend relationships that were very innocent. Beamer starts thinking  Lauren is kinda cool for a girl and she thinks he is kinda cute. My girls are on the young side for the book at 8 and didn't like those parts : ) The suggested ages are from 8-12 so it does relate to the older ages. 

It was a cute book and well written. My girls enjoyed it and have asked me  to get the next one in the series!