Books on the Farm

Given their night time reading (The Little House Collection Box Set), our gardening projects and my own personal reading selections (How to Live on Almost Nothing and Have Plenty,Country Wisdom & Know-How, and The Omnivore's Dilemma), it is not surprising that the children would be interested in reading about farming right now.


Tractor : A simple text with full-color pen-and-ink drawings, Tractor follows a farmer and his machine through a full growing season. The drawings are full of detail and inspire conversation with preschoolers about tractors, plants, and the birds that live on a farm.

The Old Red Tractor : Originally written in German, The Old Red Tractor is a story about a young boy and his hand-me-down toy tractor. The tractor was his prize possession until one of his friends acquires a brand-new tractor with all of the bells and whistles. The story and illustrations depict European rural farm life, and the story teaches an important lesson about envy and contentedness.

Farm Tractors : The farm book for the gearhead in your household, Agent 002 loves the photographs in the book. The book includes some historical background, but is otherwise organized by manufacturer. The text is intended for a machine-obsessed adult, so we have used this book mainly for flipping through rather than reading aloud.

Inch by Inch: The Garden Song : The classic David Mallet song with accompanying illustrations. One of our all-time favorite books. This is frequently a nap time selection in our home.

Moo Moo, Brown Cow : Set to the tune of "Baa Baa Black Sheep," this sing-along picture book is a wonderful counting exercise. A cat explores the farm, counting all of the baby animals. A very good book for reviewing animal sounds and names with a toddler.