Board Books about Farms

October 15 – Celebrate Fall

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About the Holiday

With the onset of autumn, people love to get outdoors to enjoy the beautiful weather, the colorful trees, empty beaches, and the wealth of fresh fruit and vegetables available at farmers markets. From corn mazes to arts-and-crafts shows, agricultural fairs to pick-your-own orchards, museums to favorite shops and cafes, there’s so much to do! With today’s books you and your little ones can enjoy exploring with the ABCs—why not turn your next outing into a game with these fun take-along board books?!

Thank you to Familius for sharing a copy of C Is for City and F Is for Farm with me for review consideration. All opinions on the books are my own.

C Is for City: A City ABC Primer

Written by Ashley Mireles | Illustrated by Volha Kaliaha

 

A walk through any city is full of new or favorite sights, sounds, tastes, and smells. Ashley Mireles has collected twenty-six of these to keep little ones looking and learning as they explore whether at home or while visiting. If you’re sharing this book with your little one, they’re probably well acquainted with the entry at B! For all book lovers “B is for bookstore,” of course! Kids fascinated with big trucks will want to take a drive or walk to find the building that represents F—the Fire Station. Everybody hungry? Offer kids a trip to G or I and see which they pick. Do they figure out that “G is for grocery store” and “I is for ice cream shop?” Some of the most charming architecture in a city come in small packages. That’s why “K is for kiosk.” Why not stop by and see what’s for sale?

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Image copyright Volha Kaliaha, 2021, text copyright Ashley Mireles, 2021. Courtesy of Familius.

With all the exhibits, hands-on displays, and maybe even a dino or two, no child (or adult) wants to pass up a trip to M! That’s right! When you open the doors to the museum, you open your child’s imagination to all that’s possible! Perhaps, you just have to run some errands. Those are perfect for seeking out the alphabet too! Need to go to mail a package, get your car fixed, or get a haircut?  You’ll be visiting the places at P, R, and S! Ready for some more fun after all of those? You know where to head—the last page, because “Z is for Zoo.”

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Image copyright Volha Kaliaha, 2021, text copyright Ashley Mireles, 2021. Courtesy of Familius.

Ashley Mireles has chosen a wide range of familiar city landmarks, shops, and buildings that little ones will have fun pointing out as they walk, drive, or speed past on the subway. Each letter is represented with a simple sentence that invites adults and kids to examine Volha Kaliaha’s illustrations or use their memory to talk about other things the letter may stand for or other items, workers, or experiences associated with each place. The repeated phrasing makes this an excellent “read along” or primer for new readers.

Volha Kaliaha represents each letter with charming, colorful images that will get kids talking and searching their neighborhood and their home for examples of each alphabetic letter. Her clean lines and winsome details give adults plenty of opportunities to prompt children to find items that begin with letters other than the featured one, making this nicely sized board book perfect for growing vocabularies and language awareness.

Bright, engaging, and just right for little hands, C Is for City offers lots to love for young learners and is sure to become a favorite on home, classroom, and library bookshelves.

Ages Baby – 3

Familus, 2021 | ISBN 978-1641704533

You can connect with Volha Kaliaha on Instagram.

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You can buy C Is for City on the Familius website.

 

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F Is for Farm: A Farming ABC Primer

Written by Ashley Mireles | Illustrated by Volha Kaliaha

 

Yeehaw! Little ones are off to the farm in this alphabetic collection of animals, buildings, food, and equipment they’d find out in the country. Ask any child to name a farm animal or two, and they’re sure to shout out the favorites at C (cow), D (ducks), and R (rooster). And how about the delicious foods that farmers provide? Well, “J is for jam,” “M is for milk,” and “X is for ximenia.”

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Image copyright Volha Kaliaha, 2021, text copyright Ashley Mireles, 2021. Courtesy of Familius.

Big rig-loving kids will be looking for the plow and tractor, and they’re here too, as well as some modern farming methods that keep crops and farmers organized and environmentally savvy. Little ones with a thirst for knowledge will be proud to learn the “big words” scattered among the pages, such as “A is for agriculture” and “I is for Irrigation.”

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Image copyright Volha Kaliaha, 2021, text copyright Ashley Mireles, 2021. Courtesy of Familius.

Ashley Mireles brings the farm inside with her enchanting picks from the country that will please little ones. Her simple four-word sentences invite youngest readers to chime in on the repeated “is for” while emerging readers will gain confidence in recognizing these sight words and other familiar words and letter sounds.

Volha Kaliaha packs her delightful illustrations with lots of realistic images from a farm as well as sweet details that will make kids smile. Not only does each page introduce the alphabet and a crop of words, the vegetables growing in rows, apples on the trees, pumpkins in the cart, and more welcome kids who love to count. Little ones will be excited to find plenty of items to name, colors to point out, and new foods to try within Kaliaha’s pages.

Ages Baby – 3

Familius, 2021 | ISBN 978-1641704526

You can find more books from Familius that joyfully reflect the habits of happy families, including reading, talking, laughing, eating, working, loving, healing, learning, and playing together as well as the Familius blog The Habit Hub here.

You can connect with Volha Kaliaha on Instagram.

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You can buy F Is for Farm on the Familius website.

 

This post contains affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure statement here.

Picture Book Review

October 19 – Celebrating the Fall Season

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About the Holiday

Fall is a time when the cooler weather and beautiful scenery entice people to get outside to enjoy farms, farmers markets, pumpkin picking and carving, scarecrow making, and lots of walks and biking. Inside, it’s time for pie and bread baking, cozy blankets, and snuggly story times. Today’s book is a perfect match for the season!

Fun Fall Day: A Touch and Feel Board Book

Written by Tara Knudson | Illustrated by Juliana Motzko

The bright blue skies and warm sun of fall is here, and the little animals are at the fair having fun in this sweet touch-and-feel board book. Bear cub takes a pony ride while Raccoon and Bird visit the petting zoo. Kids can pet the baby goat, too, while he nibbles the oats Bird offers. At the craft table, Fox, Chicken, and Elephant are coloring, making banners, and decorating pumpkins.

Then it’s time for “harvest treats, lots to buy—donuts, bread, apple pie.” The sprinkled doughnuts feel sugary sweet! There’s nothing more fun than jumping in a pile of leaves, and the fair even has a play area where Duckling, Tiger, Lamb, and Bunny “shuffle through, stomp the ground, crackle, crunch, hear the sound.” Scratch the leaf and feel how crisp it is. The afternoon is waning and the sky is streaked as orange and red as the autumn leaves. The air’s turned chilly, but there’s still time for a hayride through the pumpkin patch! Look at that big, deep orange pumpkin. Feel how smooth it is! Now, it’s time to go, but it’s been a wonderful day at the fair!

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Image copyright Juliana Motzko, 2020, text copyright Tara Knudson, 2020. Courtesy of Zonderkidz.

Tara Knudson’s playful rhymes will charm little ones as they join in on the fall fair excitement. Along the way, kids meet many different animals and engage with shapes and colors. Knudson’s lyrical verses perfectly reflect the fun and cozy atmosphere of fall. Sensory patches invite eager fingers to pet the horse and goat, touch grainy sugar, enjoy the woody texture of a fallen leaf, and feel the smoothness of a pumpkin shell.

Juliana Motzko’s fall fair enchants with adorable animals and the bright colors of the autumn season. Delighted smiles abound as the young fair-goers visit the petting zoo, craft table, baked goods display, play area, and pumpkin patch. Motzko’s textured illustrations of golden hay, rich soil, whole grain bread and apple pie as well as crunchy leaves and a straw-filled scarecrow blend well with the touch-and-feel patches and enhance the opportunity for adults and kids to talk about sensory awareness.

Fun Fall Day, a nicely sized board book—not too small or too big for little hands—is a story that’s a joy to read aloud and one that kids will want to hear again and again. It would make a much-appreciated gift for babies and toddlers and a favorite on home, preschool, and public library bookshelves.

Ages Baby – 4

Zonderkidz, 2020 | ISBN 978-0310770213

Discover more about Tara Knudson and her books on her website.

To learn more about Juliana Motzko, her books, and her art, visit her website

Celebrating Fall Activity

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Autumn Leaf Mobile

You can bring the beauty of autumn leaves into your home with this fun-to-make mobile. Use tissue paper, construction paper, or even real leaves to make this mobile, that makes a great pattern and counting activity to do with young children too. 

Supplies

  • Paper Plate
  • Scissors
  • Tissue Paper/Crepe Paper
  • Tape
  • String/ Yarn

Directions

  1. Cut out the center circle of the paper plate and use the outside ring as the top of your mobile
  2. Have children pick out colors. We did a fall theme, but you can really let the kids be creative here. 
  3. Cut out tissue paper or crepe paper into leaf shapes. Adults will have to cut out the bulk of leaves. My six year old was able to cut the leaf shapes out, but was tired after 5. I used about 60-70 leaves.
  4. Have children organize leaves into patterns.
  5. Tape leaves together so they overlap. 
  6. Tape chain to paper plate ring
  7. Tie String or yarn to the top of the mobile

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You can find Fun Fall Day: A Touch and Feel Board Book at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

November 25 – It’s Farm City Week

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About the Holiday

National Farm City Week aims to raise awareness of America’s farmers and ranchers, who “dedicate their lives to promoting our nation’s agricultural abundance and environmental stewardship.” During this week we take the opportunity to support the crucial relationship “between farms and families and work to ensure farming remains an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable way of life for future generations.” It is through the hard work of farmers and their enterprises—both large and small—that the country’s health and well-being are maintained.

Farmblock

Written by Chrisopher Franceschelli | Illustrated by Peskimo

 

A rooster calls all kids to take a trip to the farm to see all that happens year ‘round in this adorably chunky board book! Little readers will have a blast following a sister and brother—and their dog—as they say good morning to the ducks in the pond, the cows outside the barn, and the chickens who are happy to share their eggs and show off a dozen newly hatched chicks.

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Image copyright Peskimo, 2019, text copyright Christopher Franceschelli, 2019. Courtesy of Abrams Appleseed.

Morning greetings give way to morning chores, and the children take buckets of compost “past the old blue tractor” to the pile, where their dog has discovered a perfect place to roll and play. Ewww! A hose and a tub of soapy water cleans him up. Then it’s time to visit the “big red barn” to “help mild the cows, brush the horses, and feed the goats. Even the “mama sow and all her piglets” get their breakfast slop.

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Image copyright Peskimo, 2019, text copyright Christopher Franceschelli, 2019. Courtesy of Abrams Appleseed.

On this fall day, the corn and the apples are ready to be harvested. The fresh corn is just right for a picnic, and the apples will make a delicious pie for Grandpa. There are pumpkins in the field for making jack o’ lanterns, and later all the members of the family sit down around the long dinner table to celebrate Thanksgiving.

As the weather turns frosty, Mama chops logs and the kids gather kindling for the woodpile. The “horses in the paddock don’t mind a little snow, but the birds in the forest appreciate the seeds the girl and boy scatter for them. Evening falls and it’s time to “head home to roast marshmallows by the fire.”

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Image copyright Peskimo, 2019, text copyright Christopher Franceschelli, 2019. Courtesy of Abrams Appleseed.

The family is happy when spring comes. “Bees buzz in every flower…and the lambs are born.” The animals are excited to be outside in the pasture again. It’s time to get the ground ready for planting “so the plants grow up…and up! And the plants grow down…and down!” The grass grows high in summer, but then it is cut and “rolled into bales to hoist high into the hayloft.” Berry bushes produce plump, juicy berries for jam to sell on farmers market day!

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Image copyright Peskimo, 2019, text copyright Christopher Franceschelli, 2019. Courtesy of Abrams Appleseed.

With plenty of surprises and sprightly storytelling, Christopher Franceschelli gives little readers a tour of a farm throughout the year. His straightforward sentences are cheery and sprinkled with words such as compost, harvest, paddock, and hoist that children who are developing their vocabulary will be proud to know. Kids will be excited to see annual events that their familiar with as well as to learn about the crops and the changes for the animals that occur during each season.

Just as in the other block books in the series, Peskimo delights readers with lots of cut-out windows to peek through, gate-fold pages to open out…and out and even up and down. Behind the gate folds await sweet and humorous discoveries that will have little ones giggling and aww-ing. Each page is bright and bold, and smiles abound from the close siblings to their mom, dad and grandpa to the cute animals and their babies. Even the jack o’ lanterns have wide grins. Kids and adults will enjoy pointing out and talking about all of the details of farm life included on every page and especially the antics of the tiny mouse on each spread.

A charmer that will captivate little ones’ imagination, Farmblock is a book that children will want to read again and again. The book makes a terrific gift and addition to home, school, and public libraries.

Ages Baby to 3

Abrams Appleseed, 2019 | ISBN 978-1419738258

You can view a portfolio of artwork by Peskimo on their website.

Farm City Week Activity

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Grow a Garden Game

 

With this fun game you and your family and friends can grow gardens inside! Roll the dice to see whose garden will fully ripen first!

Supplies

Directions

Object: The object of the game is for each player to fill their garden rows with vegetables. Depending on the ages of the players, the required winning number of rows to fill and the number of vegetables to “plant” in each row can be adjusted.

  1. Print one Game Board for each player
  2. Print one set of Playing Cards for each player (for sturdier playing items, print on card stock)
  3. Print one Vegetable Playing Die and assemble it (for a sturdier die, print on card stock)
  4. Cut the vegetables into their individual playing cards
  5. Color the “dirt” on the Garden Plot with the crayon (optional)
  6. Choose a player to go first
  7. The player rolls the die and then “plants” the facing vegetable in a row on the game board
  8. Play moves to the person on the right
  9. Players continue rolling the die and “planting” vegetables until each of the number of determined rows have been filled with the determined number of vegetables.
  10. The first person to “grow” all of their veggies wins!

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You can find Farmblock at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review