The Great Animal Escape

PRAISe

The Great Animal Escape by Linda Harkey is an entertaining, beautiful children's book. It follows four animal friends (a bull, a cow, a burro, and a little raven) on a journey to freedom. A herd is about to be taken to cooking school to learn how to make hamburgers. Yet Lova-Bull, a small but powerful dark-red Hereford bull, and Mud Pie, a black Angus cow, decide to hide under a tree. They heard from Gracie the Burro that the herd wasn't going to cooking school to learn how to make hamburgers but that the hamburgers would be made out of them! Thus, Mud Pie and Lova-Bull, with the help of Gracie, want to escape to the Cow Retirement Ranch, where there's no gate, no fences, just happy cattle. But on their way to freedom, they must survive a big storm, a four-wheeled, two-eyed monster, and a mountain lion.

The Great Animal Escape is a funny, captivating story filled with heart-pounding adventure. Linda Harkey inspires young readers to find their courage, overcome obstacles, and help others. Readers will get a glimpse into what good friendship and teamwork look like and where courage, unity, and never giving up can lead them. The illustrator has done an excellent job of capturing the story's atmosphere. It is perfect for young adventurers ages 8 to 12 who like adventure, brave animal heroes, and lovely illustrations. This tale will win the hearts and minds of all who read it. The reading guide at the end of the book, containing questions and activities to accompany the story, is a thoughtful and great addition.

—Reviewed by Emma Megan for Readers’ Favorite, 5 Stars

The Great Animal Escape by Linda Harkey is one of those adorable little reminders that books don't have to be overly serious or have big, grand, awe-inspiring messages to be entertaining and enjoyable. They can just be simple, short, sweet, and... FUN!

We had such a great time reading The Great Animal Escape because of the adorable, goofy animal characters and the self-aware humor. We shared a lot of smiles, chuckles, and laughs, perhaps more than we've had in a while.

—Reviewed by Outstanding Creator Awards, Score: 9.4 out of 10 

Interview with Linda Harkey from Talking Books with JT Crowley

Linda Harkey is a multi-award-winning children’s author formerly from Angel Fire in the Sangre De Christo Mts in the U.S. state of New Mexico, now Oklahoma City in the state of Oklahoma. When she lived with her late husband Mike on their thirty-acre ranch in Angel Fire she was surrounded with spectacular scenery and wildlife such as black bears, mountain cougars and elk. It had its advantages and disadvantages living ten thousand feet above sea-level something Linda is going to miss very much, but since the passing of her beloved husband Mike earlier on this year that lifestyle was proving too much of a challenge for her and she has decided to move back to Oklahoma. 

Linda is a past teacher and an enthusiastic hunting dog owner for more than thirty years. Plus, she has spent at least twenty odd years as a volunteer docent at two of Oklahoma’s outstanding museums. Linda was married to Mike a retired surgical pathologist for more years than she cares to recall, she has two children and three grandchildren to date, and one great grandchild, again to date.

R.I.P Mike, who was ‘The Master’ character in the books.

The Book

Well, what can I say about this latest children’s book Linda Harkey has put out, Well! It’s WOW! WOW! WOW! She’s poured her heart and soul into it. It’s the story of four farmyard animals venturing out on a journey from Cowlick Ranch to Rancher Girard’s Cow Retirement Ranch. What unfolds on this daring escape, simply to avoid the dreaded Cooking School hmm…! Well let’s find out.

AWARDS

• Amazon // #1 Hot New Releases, Top 100 Bestseller: Children’s Farrming & Agriculture Books
• Berlin International Screenwriting Festival // Official Selection
• Chicago Script Awards // Best Book: Autumn Edition
• Festigious International Film Festival // Winner: Best Inspirational Screenplay - June
• Film Festival NIC - Cote D’azure, France // 2024 Winner: Think Different
• Florence Film Awards // Silver Award: Feature Script
• Ideal International Film Festival // Official Selection
• London Movie Awards  // Gold Award: Feature Script
• Megaflix Film Awards // Winner: Best Story/Plot
• NYC Big Book Award // Winner: Chapter Books Category
• Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards - Summer 2024 // Best Books: Juvenile Fiction
• San Diego International Kids’ Film Festival // Official Selection: Screenplay
• Southwest Book Design and Production Awards // Winner: Children’s Book Category
• World Film Festival in Cannes // Winner: Best Original Story - May