Toddler book | The Yellow Cow

(Nederlandse samenvatting onderaan)

By Zahra | The Jolly Animals have set out on a journey of creating children’s books taking inspiration from animals mentioned in The Holy Books, and as parents of a toddler they’ve got us hooked. Their very first book The Yellow Cow is a fact, and I’m telling you all about it in this article.

Who is The Yellow Cow?
In the Holy Quran there is made mention of a yellow cow in the following verses of Surah Al Baqarah (Chapter 2, verses 67 to 71):

“And [recall] when Moses said to his people, “Indeed, Allah commands you to slaughter a cow.” They said, “Do you take us in ridicule?” He said, “I seek refuge in Allah from being among the ignorant.”

They said, “Call upon your Lord to make clear to us what it is.” [Moses] said, “[ Allah ] says, ‘It is a cow which is neither old nor virgin, but median between that,’ so do what you are commanded.”

They said, “Call upon your Lord to show us what is her color.” He said, “He says, ‘It is a yellow cow, bright in color – pleasing to the observers.’“

They said, “Call upon your Lord to make clear to us what it is. Indeed, [all] cows look alike to us. And indeed we, if Allah wills, will be guided.”

He said, “He says, ‘It is a cow neither trained to plow the earth nor to irrigate the field, one free from fault with no spot upon her.’ ” They said, “Now you have come with the truth.” So they slaughtered her, but they could hardly do it.”

The Jolly Animals have taken inspiration from these verses and created an animal fable with a yellow cow–bright in color–taking the center stage. The cute story’s details are meticulously accurate as per The Jolly Animal’s promise to respect the structure, order and moral of the Holy Books they take inspiration from.

The Yellow Cow: The book and story
The Yellow Cow is a durable cardboard book of about 16 x 16 cm. It is definitely infant and toddler proof! The illustrations in the book are playful, colorful and very imaginative. The book comes with a sheet of nice stickers, too.

Commendable is the fact that the brand makes it a point to do the right thing towards the environment, the people producing the products, and the children who can’t afford them so as to match the ethics of the books their products are inspired from.  

As for the story, the back cover describes it as follows:

“The bright Yellow Cow stands out from the herd. She’s of a different size, age, color and talent. Join her journey of self-discovery and find out together just how special she really is.”

The book is written in a playful rhyme, suitable for young children, especially infants, toddlers and preschoolers. A boy and a girl who remain in the shadows are looking for this very special cow, and because of their search the cow is encouraged to embark on an internal journey to discover what it is that makes her so special, taking the reader along on this very unique yet universal quest.

Review: Our thoughts on The Yellow Cow
We love the whole concept of drawing inspiration from the Quran and other Holy Books, and we particularly appreciate The Yellow Cow’s disclaimer,

“This is not a religious book. The animal fable within is inspired by verses of the Holy Quran.”

This is because to us that is a form of respecting the original messages of the Holy Books, as they are in no need of modification, while seeking to grow from those messages by creating accurate stories with morals worth teaching our children and instilling in them.

The message as woven in The Yellow Cow is lovely, the quest of a beautiful bright yellow cow to discover herself, her surroundings, and her place in the world is an admirable one. Her conclusion is that she is very special, unique and loved. This is a message we find worth telling ourselves and our children. Especially in a world that so often tries to push us to be anything but our own unique and beautiful selves.

Sales information
The book costs $21 AUD and you can order it online through www.jollyanimals.com.

Behind the scenes, The Jolly Animals are working on their next fable, this time featuring a dog. Can you guess which dog?

Much love,
Zahra

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Boekentip voor peuters | The Yellow Cow

(Samenvatting)

Door Zahra | In het artikel van vandaag bespreek ik een Engelstalig boek voor peuters als boekentip en vertel ik waarom wij als ouders het boek interessant vinden. De makers van het boek putten inspiratie uit dieren die genoemd worden in de Heilige Boeken en creëren daaromheen kinderboeken met telkens één dier in de hoofdrol en een duidelijke boodschap. The Yellow Cow is de eerste in een serie van meerdere boeken die nog zullen volgen. Meer informatie is te vinden op: www.jollyanimals.com.

Veel liefs,
Zahra