Chuck Dükman, a circus janitor, almost completes his job for the night when a cowcophony of clowns (really, a whole troop of cow clowns!) run amuck and make Dükman’s stage…yuck! Counting Cows is a 1 to 10 counting picture book with a new obstacle on every page. Who knew the midnight mayhem that circus cow clowns could create! Will Dükman get the stage clean… or is it all just a dream?
Count up to ten and down again with this fever dream of a tale! Chuck Dükman, our leading janitor of a theatrical stage, is ready to fall asleep but not until he finishes his janitorial duties. Chuck is roused by a cowcophony of clowns! Our rowdy friends romp around the stage as readers practice their numbers. Does Chuck Dükman find a way to get the theater clean or was it all just a dream?
Our troop of clown cows honk horns, tightrope walk, unicycle ride, toss pies & overall make a disastrous, hilarious mess until Chuck Dükman regains control and demands clean-up help. The cows are under great management... but will they succeed in making this playful establishment clean? These circus clowns will if Dükman has anything to say about it!
A bonus, Counting Cows is a “Get Ready for Bed” book in disguise! Rowdy playtime, clean-up, wash-up and then time for sleep? This is a story that belongs on the nightstand to read again and again!
Bryan “Breadwig” Ballinger is a muralist, toy designer, and children’s book author and illustrator. He graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design with a degree in Illustration & has a master’s degree in Writing for Children from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.
He was lead illustrator for the first version of the award-winning Encarta CD-ROM encyclopedia as well as the Explorapedia children’s encyclopedia series. For five years, Bryan was the 3D Design Lead at Big Idea Productions, the producers of the VeggieTales children’s videos. He was a professor of Digital Media Arts at Huntington University in Indiana for 16 years.
Bryan is the author and illustrator of Animal Gas: A Farty Farce (2015, Union Square Kids), a quirky scratch and sniff children’s picture book as well as 3 POW! Kids Books titles, The Big Wig Parade (2023), Counting Cows (2024), & The Story of a Pig Named Joe and his Quest to be Fancy (2024), each story featuring whimsical wacky animals up to varying hijinks that keep young readers laughing ‘til the end of the book!
Bryan is currently the 2023-2024 Artist in Residence at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the world’s largest children’s museum. He runs a program that teaches the young and young at heart all about the creativity of illustration!