Liesel the Calf is the sweetest, smallest, most relatable character in the Veronica the Clever Cow series — and she is, almost without fail, the character that the very youngest readers connect with first. Liesel is Veronica’s daughter. She is young, curious, slightly wobbly on her feet sometimes, and absolutely full of questions about everything she sees on the farm.

In every Veronica book, Liesel the Calf is the one looking up at the rest of the cast with wide eyes. She is the friend who asks the questions everyone else thinks but does not say out loud. She is the character who makes small children feel seen on the page.

Who Liesel the Calf Really Is

Liesel the Calf is Veronica’s daughter and the youngest member of the central cast. She first appears in Book 1, Veronica’s Very Important Scratch, where she is right at Veronica’s side throughout the story. From the very beginning, Liesel the Calf has been the gentle anchor of the books — the character who reminds the reader that this is a world children are growing up in.

British/Australian author Jaz Hoy describes Liesel the Calf as “the character who lets the very youngest readers feel they belong on the page. She is doing what they are doing — looking up, asking questions, learning the world.” Liesel is naive without being silly. She is innocent without being twee. She is, quite simply, a small calf finding her feet in a busy farm full of grown-up animals who love her completely.

Children meeting Liesel for the first time often gasp slightly when they see her — there is something about her face that reads instantly as “the small one”. Parents reading aloud notice it within a page or two and tend to find themselves rather fond of her by the end of the book.

3 Gentle Reasons We Love Liesel the Calf

1. She Asks the Questions Children Actually Have

Liesel the Calf is the question-asker of the cast. When something happens in a Veronica book, Liesel is the one who pipes up to ask why. Why does the bell make a noise? Why is the well wishing? Why is the sky dark today? Why does the sea move like that? Her questions are the questions children themselves want answered — but often do not quite have the language for. Hearing Liesel ask them out loud is a quiet permission for the child listening to ask theirs too. That is one of the most useful things a picture book character can ever do.

2. She Is Small and Brave at the Same Time

Liesel is genuinely small. She is also genuinely brave. She trots after the bigger animals. She tries new things. She is not fearless, but she is willing — and that combination of smallness and willingness is exactly what children aged 3 to 5 most need to see in a character. Liesel the Calf shows them that being small and being brave are not opposites. They can be the same thing on the same page, in the same character, in the same moment.

3. She Has the Most Perfect Mother-Daughter Bond in the Series

The relationship between Veronica and Liesel the Calf is one of the warmest threads running through all six books. Veronica is clever, busy, capable. Liesel adores her completely. Veronica adores her back, fiercely and quietly. The cross-generational love between them is shown lightly, never spelled out, and parents reading the books aloud often find that thread the one that most catches them off guard. Children pick it up too — they recognise the mother-daughter pattern from their own lives, and it gives the whole farm a quiet emotional centre.

Where to Meet Liesel the Calf — A Book by Book Guide

Liesel the Calf appears in all six books of the Veronica the Clever Cow series. She has a particularly central role in three of them.

• Book 1: Veronica’s Very Important Scratch — Liesel is right beside Veronica from the start of the story. veronicacow.com/go/scratch
• Book 2: Veronica and The Noisy Bell — Liesel asks the question that quietly solves the whole story. veronicacow.com/go/bell
• Book 3: Veronica’s Busy Day — Liesel cheerfully follows Veronica through the chaos of the schedule. veronicacow.com/go/busy
• Book 4: Veronica and the Wishing Well — Liesel the Calf makes her own wish, which is one of the loveliest moments in the entire series. veronicacow.com/go/well
• Book 5: Veronica and the Storm — Liesel is the character Veronica protects most fiercely during the weather. veronicacow.com/go/storm
• Book 6: Veronica Goes to the Beach — Liesel sees the sea for the very first time, and her face on that page is one of the loveliest in the whole series. veronicacow.com/go/beach

You can read more about why young animal characters work so well in picture books for very young children on the Booktrust early years recommendations.

Free Resources Featuring Liesel the Calf

The free library at veronicacow.com/join includes resources specifically for Liesel the Calf — a character fact card, a colouring page, and themed activity sheets that work both at home and in the classroom. The Liesel colouring page is consistently one of the most popular in the library among under-fives, because her smaller size makes the page feel less intimidating to colour in than the larger characters.

Premium Teacher members can unlock the full Liesel the Calf lesson plan with comprehension questions and discussion prompts designed around her role as the young, curious, brave-but-small character. It pairs particularly well with Book 1 or Book 4 in early years classrooms.

Browse the full character cast on the Meet the Characters page.

A Final Word on Liesel the Calf

Every Veronica book needs a Liesel. Every clever cow needs a small calf to love. And every child reading a picture book needs to see themselves on the page — looking up at the bigger characters with wide eyes, asking the questions, trotting along, finding their feet in the world.

Liesel the Calf is that character. Six books. One sweet young calf. Always loved.

Veronica would not be Veronica without her.