farms

The Gobble Gobble Moooooo Tractor Book

| Tasha

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The Gobble Gobble Moooooo Tractor Book by Jez Alborough

Alborough, author of the Duck in the Truck series, returns with a new cast of animal characters and plenty of mischief to keep young listeners entertained.  Early in the morning, when the farmer was still in bed, Sheep climbed onto the tractor and made the sound that the tractor makes when it’s starting up.  Ba-a-a-a.  Cat comes and can make the sound the engine makes when its starting to move.  Purr. Turkey arrives.  He can make the sound of the tractor when it heads down the road.  The three of them pretend the tractor is starting, running and heading off.  Then Mouse, Goose and Cow arrive with their own noises which combined make all of the sounds of the tractor driving away.  Which is just what the farmer thinks when he hears them all together!

The cacophony of animal sounds is great fun here, especially with the twist of them sounding like the motor, wheels and other parts of a tractor.  Children will love trying to make the noises of the animals sound like machinery.  Alborough excels at making picture books that are friendly and very accessible for children.  His text is simple and fast moving, taking readers directly to the humor and the action.  His bright colored illustrations are zippy and jolly.

Add this to any farm themed toddler story time for plenty of noise making fun.  It will also appeal to children who enjoy machines.  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Kane Miller.

 

  

Up We Grow! – Glorious Farm Life

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Up We Grow! A Year in the Life of a Small, Local Farm by Deborah Hodge, photographs by Brian Harris

This book shows the beauty and work of running a small farm.  The book moves from season to season, highlighting the work being done at that time.  In spring, seeds are sown, plants are transplanted, compost is spread.  In summer the animals and plants are growing bigger.  The flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, crops are being harvested, and they have a farm celebration.  In fall, it’s harvest time for crops and for honey.  The farmers markets are active and the farmers are saving seeds to use next year.  In winter, it is slower.  The farmers repair their equipment, feed their animals, and grow plants in the greenhouse.  This book offers lots of information in friendly green boxes that specifically talk about sustainable practices.  It is a gentle way to introduce organic farming to young readers.

Hodge’s text is refreshingly light in tone, often asking readers to talk about their own experiences.  Her use of text in boxes for the more dense, factual portions works very well, making the book flexible for different ages and audiences.  Harris’ photographs really capture the fresh air and sunshine of a farm.  From friendly animals to deep rich soil, his photos are interesting and vibrant.

A book that will have everyone wanting to munch some farm-fresh veggies and visit a friendly goat or two, it is a warm invitation to investigate small farms in your area or at least spend some time at a farmer’s market this fall.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Kids Can Press.

The Cow Loves Cookies

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The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Marcellus Hall

Told in a jaunty rhyme, this book shows life on a farm through a funny, quirky lens.  Farmer feeds each animal every day.  The horse eats hay.  The chickens eat chicken feed.  The geese eat corn.  The pig eats slop.  The dog loves doggie treats.  As each animal is introduced along with the food it eats, the chorus chimes in with “the cow loves cookies.”  Then with each new animal, the previous ones are added to the rhyme, forming a fun, cumulative tale.  In the end, the reader will be pleased to find out exactly how the cow got a taste for cookies. 

This book is made to read aloud with its great rhymes that never grow stale and the wonderful rhythm that is built into them.  Even better, there is that chorus line that children will love to help repeat.  Hall’s illustrations echo the light-hearted tone of the text with their free flowing style and friendliness.  They are also large enough to work well with a group of children.

Add this one to your storytime reads for barnyard books.  Perhaps even concluding the stories with some cookies, you know that the children love cookies!  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from McElderry Books.

Farm

| Tasha

Farm by Elisha Cooper

An  inviting mix of vistas across flat farmland and isolated bits of the farm on white backgrounds, Cooper has created a book that really captures the seasons on a farm.  From the family, animals, buildings and equipment to the everyday world of chores and work, this book is honest and accurate about farm life.  Children will delight in the small moments of the farm, especially those involving the tractors and the animals.  The book is laid out as a cycle, moving from spring through fall, encapsulating the growing season.  This is a great introduction to farm life for children, both rural and urban.

Cooper’s text gives small details constantly, seeding the book with facts large and small about farming in general and about this family farm in particular.  Simply telling the names of the different cats is time well spent and interesting.  Cooper’s art is done with simple lines and earthy colors.  His mix of landscape vistas with small images is dynamic and keeps the book fresh and interesting.  Because of the small size of many of the illustrations, this book will be best used by one child at a time who will take the time to wonder along with Cooper about what animals are thinking and whether they are deep in thought when not eating.

This is a book to linger with, turn the pages back and forth, breathe in the country air, and also take your time thinking deep thoughts.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Scholastic.

Also reviewed by Young Readers, Back to Books, and A Year of Reading.

Pitschi

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Pitschi by Hans Fischer

Originally published in Switzerland in 1947 and then first published in the US in 1953, this book is a classic that I had never read before.  Old Lisette has two cats, five kittens, and a dog who are near her playing as she knits outside.  That is all of the kittens are playing except for one who is sitting still and dreaming.  Pitschi is much more interested in exploring and dreaming than playing with her siblings.  So off she heads into the farmyard.  There she finds a rooster who struts proudly.  Pitschi decides that she wants to be a rooster and gives her best strut and crow.  But when their crowing draws another rooster in and they fight, Pitschi decides she doesn’t want to be a rooster anymore.  One after another Pitschi discovers an animal, thinks it would be grand to be that, and then learns about the drawbacks.  Goats are milked.  Ducks swim.  And rabbits live in danger from foxes and owls.  Luckily the old dog and Old Lisette are there to rescue a lost kitten after dark and remind her how grand it is to be a kitten after all.

There is a wonderful pluckiness about this little kitten.  She is often unafraid, bold and always curious.  Her willingness to reinvent herself is very endearing and makes for a book that is a great foil for books where the character is seeking to find those who are like themselves.  Here Pitschi relishes the differences and the new character traits she finds. 

Fischer’s art is free form and simple.  Often colored with washes of only a few colors, his use of line is done with great skill and ease.  The simple curlicues of a tree branches, the squiggles that form a rabbit’s tail, and the swirls of a basket.  The illustrations come to life because of this simplicity.

Highly recommended.  If you missed this treasure from the 40s and 50s, you are in luck because North South is re-releasing it this year.  Share it with cat lovers or in story times about cats or farms.  It is a real Swiss treat.

Reviewed from copy received from North South.

Little Green Goose

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The Little Green Goose by Adele Sansone, illlustrated by Anke Faust

In 1999, North South books published this story with illustrations by Alan Marks.  Now it has been re-released with new art.  This is the story of a goose who desperately wants to be a father.  When he approaches the hens and asks for eggs to hatch, they refuse to give him any.  So he sadly heads to the woods where Daisy the dog points him to an egg she uncovered in her digging.  Mr. Goose takes the egg home and sits on it.  Eventually, it cracks open and out pops a green chick with scales!  Mr. Goose was proud of his son and when he finally showed him to the others in the barnyard, they were shocked.  The little green goose was told by some of the hens that he is not a proper goose because he is green and doesn’t have feathers or a beak!  Distraught, little green goose heads out to find his real father.  But no animal is quite like him.  It isn’t until he is exhausted and hungry that he realizes that he knows just who will love him no matter whether he is a proper goose or not.

This book is about families and how they are about love alone, not about whether members look similar at all.  I particularly appreciated that it is MR. Goose who wants a baby.  That’s a male role that we don’t see much in children’s picture books.  Sansone’s text is light and a pleasure to read aloud.  Her dialogue is interestingly written.  Her setting is well developed.  She has created a wonderful world in which a baby dinosaur can not only exist but thrive. 

Faust’s illustrations are done in digital collage.  She has a knack for finding interesting visual textures that really create a feast for the eye.  The feathers on Mr. Goose are particularly successful as are the grasses, stones, wood and leaves.  She has captured the freshness and patterns of nature and used them with great effect here.

Highly recommended, this story will appeal to many families and children.  Keep it on hand for any goose or farm story times, where it will add another dimension and a bit of diversity.  Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from copy received from NorthSouth Publishers.

Kitten’s Spring

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Kitten’s Spring by Eugenie Fernandes

Take a walk along with Kitten as Kitten explores a farm in spring.  As Kitten goes through the farm, readers will see pairings of adult and baby animals.  These include frogs and tadpoles, birds and eggs, chickens and chicks, ducks and ducklings, a cow and calf, pig and piglet, sheep and lamb, and owl and owlet.  The book is written in rhyme that adds to the appeal.  The illustrations are eye-catching and lovely with a real dimensional feel to them that will offer young children lots to pore over.

Fernandes is a well-known Canadian author.  Her ability to create a book with a specific feel and theme shines here.  Using only a few words per page, she writes with a simplicity that is welcoming for very small children.  Her art is equally warm and friendly, filled with tiny details that make it fun to visit again and again.  It is done in clay, acrylic paint and collage.

This book would be perfect to add to a toddler story time about spring, farms or cats.  Its small size is also very inviting for lap reading and children will love to talk about the animal noises and the other things they see in each picture.  Appropriate for ages 1-4.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Also reviewed by Becky at Young Readers.