Moo: A Novel

“Yolanda Arrives” is a mixture of poetry and prose that describes the arrival of Zep’s cow Yolanda at Mrs. Falala’s. Yolanda is a neatly groomed heifer whose arrival at first puzzles Zora and makes her nervous. While everyone waits anxiously to see if the cows will accept one another, Paulie the pig, China the cat, and Crockett the parrot greet Yolanda. Afterward, Zora is more trusting and moves toward Yolanda, shooing the other animals out of her way so that she can stand with her new friend.

In the prose chapter “Training,” Zep begins coming to Mrs. Falala’s for an hour each day to teach Reena how to show Zora in two events—one which evaluates cows and one which evaluates trainers. Reena is nervous about the upcoming show, but she tries to hide this from Zep. When Zep promises to help her, she betrays her eagerness to spend time with him and ends up embarrassed, but Zep just gives her a wide smile. As they practice moving the cows around the pasture, Reena notices how much more stubborn and ornery Zora is compared to Yolanda.