Ahhh, Milk!: The Many Ways Milk Is Made

PreS-K–Despite the subtitle, this lyrical ode to milk offers little explanation of where milk comes from or how it is used by humans. The scant text is too vague to be informative and sacrifices clarity in favor of poetic imagery. The book’s sole description of mammalian milk production is “Mammas munch, slowly chew. Wait until…bellies brew.” The accompanying digital illustrations, though pleasant, do not fill the gaps. Domesticated dairy animals, including a camel and a water buffalo, are shown in their native environments; only a Holstein cow is depicted being milked. Human milk, meanwhile, is neither mentioned nor depicted visually. More than half of the book is a celebration of plant-based milk alternatives, but the text does not explain how these crops are turned into beverages, nor does it clarify that these plant-based liquids are not milk at all. Back matter names the plants and animals seen in the earlier pages.