Farm Life - Hardcover

Spurr, Elizabeth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823417778 ISBN 13: 9780823417773

Publisher: Holiday House, 2003

Synopsis

Rhymed descriptions of life on a farm introduce basic colors and the numbers one to ten as Farmer Dan goes about his daily chores, giving readers a special look at each barn and the creatures, crops, or equipment it holds.

About this title

About the Author:

Elizabeth Spurr has written a number of books for children, including Two Bears Beneath the Stairs, illustrating by Nadine Bernard Westcott, and A Pig Named Perrier, illustrated by Martin Matje. She lives in California.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-K-With rhyming verse that calls to mind Bill Martin, Jr.'s Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (Holt, 1983), this concept book takes children on a tour of Farmer Dan's farm. The excursion begins with "Red barn, red barn, what are you keeping?/One rumbling tractor ready for reaping,/One baler, one sower,/one thresher, one mower./This is the farm life-but only a part." The pages take readers through blue, green, brown, and gray barns, and the numbers from 1 to 10, before coming home to the "White house, white house-./This is the farm life-the whole and the heart." The lighthearted lilt of the verses is reflected in the sketchy style of the paintings. Done in watercolor and pen and ink, the illustrations capture the essence of the rhyme, and offer a story of their own and a touch of humor. The sleepy sows lounge on their backs in very humanlike poses, and Farmer Dan and his piglets have similar contented smiles. The spreads are subtly linked by small details. The green barn appears on the horizon as children read about the blue one. Nearly unseen next to the green barn is a kitten from the upcoming page. The font, with a large handwritten look, fits stylistically with the illustrations. The division of the verses works smoothly and allows the art to show each animal, crop, or piece of equipment mentioned. A farm glossary is appended, but the book is not an information source on farm life. It is an attractive introduction to some basic colors and numbers.-Carolyn Janssen, Children's Learning Center of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0823417778
• ISBN 13: 9780823417773
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Björkman Steve