The Day the Cow Sneezed — James Flora

"I bet your cow never sneezed a hole in the schoolhouse wall. Our cow did " Thus begins is one of the funniest, fastest-paced, tallest-tale stories ever told The fun mounts as absurdity cascades on absurdity, until at the very end one small boy learns that a "teeny-weeny error can grow into a whopping big mistake almost before you can say Ka-Chow "

With brilliantly colored, bold and original pictures and a sure use of words that sweep the reader along, James Flora has created a hilariously wise picture book that will bring delighted laughter to the young of any age

James ("Jim") Flora worked as a commercial artist from the 1940s through the 1980s. He enjoyed a lengthy career, was a lifelong fan of jazz and classical music, and was renowned for creating wild illustrations for Columbia and RCA Victor records in the 1940s and '50s. He also created seventeen books for young readers. "The Day the Cow Sneezed," his second book, was first published in 1957. Despite long-standing interest, this is the first time the book has been reprinted. Flora was born in the small town of Bellefontaine, Ohio, in 1914. He attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati, where he met his future wife, artist Jane Sinnicksen. The Floras moved to Connecticut in 1942 when Jim accepted a job at Columbia Records. Flora and Jane went on to have five children. It was after their first child was born that Flora started to create children's books. Flora passed away at his home in Rowayton, Connecticut, in 1998.