The Cow in Apple Time

This short poem, written in 1914 by beloved American poet Robert Frost, is a humorous ode to a headstrong Holstein who crashes through a stone wall into the apple orchard of a New England farm. Gorging delightedly on the fallen fruit, she drools and bellows impressively in the funny illustrations that eventually reveal an aftermath that is not so happy as the fruit ferments in her stomach and she can't give milk. Drawing on his real-life experiences as a farmer, Frost tells his tale in perfect rhyme and with a rhythmic syncopation in the style of early jazz. Amusing and playful, the illustrations present a perfect pairing of word and picture.