Moo, Baa, La La La! – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Moo, Baa, La La La!

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

book1982Children's Books, Early Learning

92%

WISE Score

4.9

Amazon

Farm animals make sounds, except three rebellious pigs who prefer to sing opera. A baby book legend for good reason.

Moo, Baa, La La La!

book

1982, Children's Books, Early Learning

92%

WISE Score

4.9

Amazon

Farm animals make sounds, except three rebellious pigs who prefer to sing opera. A baby book legend for good reason.

4.9

Jump to

Also rated on

4.9

View →

Where to Read

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Libby

Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased, but as an Amazon Associate, Screenwise earns an affiliate fee if you buy a book or game by clicking one of our links. We don't get any credit if you just Google it instead :)

Screenwise Verdict

This is one of those rare baby books that parents don't hate reading 500 times. Boynton's quirky humor (singing pigs!) elevates it above generic animal sound books, and the rhythm makes it genuinely fun to read aloud.

It does exactly what a great board book should: teaches early concepts (animal sounds), encourages vocalization and interaction, and survives the physical abuse that babies inflict on books. The fact that it's been beloved since 1982 and still has a 4.9 on Amazon tells you everything.

Is it going to change your life? No. But for that 6-18 month window when your kid is obsessed with animal sounds, this is top-tier content. Just commit to the OINK.

Age Fit

This is peak content for 6-24 months when babies are learning sounds and loving repetition. By age 3, most kids want more plot and complexity, though some toddlers stay fans longer.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Pure, joyful animal sounds and silly pigs singing 'la la la.' Zero stress, zero conflict, just happy farm animals doing their thing. The interactive final spread invites kids to make noise together with caregivers—it's bonding time disguised as barnyard chaos.

Imaginative

Sandra Boynton's signature quirky humor shines through—three pigs saying 'LA LA LA' instead of oinking is genuinely funny and subversive for the baby book genre. The exuberant verses and colorful art invite kids to play with sounds and language. It's not building worlds or complex narratives, but for a board book, it's creative and memorable.

Safe

100

It's a board book about farm animals making sounds. Literally nothing could go wrong here. No scary content, no surprise anything, just MOO BAA and LA LA LA. Common Sense Media confirms it's delightful and appropriate even for babies.

Enriching

Teaches animal sounds, introduces rhythm and repetition, builds early vocabulary. The interactive ending gets kids vocalizing, which is developmentally solid for language acquisition. It's not teaching quantum physics, but for 6-18 month olds, it's doing exactly what it should: making reading fun and building neural pathways through sound play.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Sandra Boynton's weird humor makes this actually enjoyable to read for the 47th time—those singing pigs are genuinely funny
Super short sentences (max 8 words per page) means babies can memorize it and 'read' along, which is adorable
Interactive ending invites everyone to OINK and QUACK together—it's chaotic but in the best way
Built like a tank (board book) so it survives teething, throwing, and the occasional bath time incident
4.9 stars on Amazon and still going strong after 40+ years—this is the little black dress of baby books

⚠

What to Watch For

Your kid will want you to make the animal sounds with full commitment—no phoning it in on the SNORT
The interactive ending can get loud, maybe save it for non-library settings
It's really designed for babies/young toddlers—by age 2-3 most kids have moved on to more complex stories