Interrupting Cow and the chicken crossing the road

A cow searches for a new audience and finds a friend. In this sequel to Interrupting Cow (2020), the eponymous bovine's chickens have come home to roost, so to speak, as none of the other cows want to hear her tired, interruption-filled joke anymore. The cows almost immediately race away, "kicking up dirt and irritation." Their departure warns the other barnyard animals, who quickly follow before Interrupting Cow gets too close. Even Owl, who is usually kind, skirts around the cow's punchline. Lonely and a little sad, Interrupting Cow walks and walks until she comes to an "endless gray road." On the other side of the road, Rooster keeps trying to cross, but cars, trucks, and tractors scare him off. Interrupting Cow brazenly crosses to Rooster's side and butts into his situation. As she helps him cross, the two bond over their sense of humor, falling down into helpless giggles. Yolen tackles yet another classic inane joke and infuses its subject with heart and humor. With a total vocabulary of around 250 words and their variants, this sequel is slightly more advanced than its predecessor. But, with at most 19 lines per double-page spread, the text remains accessible to emerging readers. Dreidemy's full-color cartoon illustrations add context clues. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-12-inch double-page spreads viewed at 76% actual size.) Sure to "beak" readers' interest. (Early reader. 5-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.