Children's books about farming

[New Puritan]

As per the title really.

My daughter (age 6) couldn't find farming much less interesting. I can't really blame her as we don't live on the farm, and it's all arable so I don't take her there all that much when there's work to be done as it's mainly tractor based.

Aside from other ways of getting her interested in farming (like doing hands-on stuff at the farm...), I thought getting her reading books set on farms or about farms might get her more interested.

Can anyone suggest children's books that are stories set on farms, or about farms? Either for her to read or to be read to her by me; stories or reference etc. I'm just as capable of using Amazon or Google as the next person, but I'm wondering if anyone has personal recommendations?

Thanks,
NP.

 

[Lili]

The Fox Busters, Daggie Dog foot, or The Sheep pig (Babe) by Dick King Smith (probably for you to read to her) and don't blame me if your daughter then wants some chickens or a piglet. Have you room for any bantams/hens at all at home? Small livestock great for children to get an interest.

 

[multi power]

Not books but tractor Ted DVDs are good

 

[awkward]

kitten or pet lamb to encourage them to look after and feel responsible for

 

[Selectamatic]

@New Puritan it might not be for her?

Some of my happiest childhood memories are with dad, sat on the combine, walking miles in the furrow behind the plough, rolling little bales out of the way etc etc

When i got bored of that, i'd go and explore the field, climb trees, rummage around in the hedge, or just play about.

Tractors and machinery was the future, even back then, spent many hours sat, uncomfortably on the toolbox in the cab with the old man or sat between his legs, too young to reach the pedals, doing the steering.

Happy days.

Livestock on the other hand...

Shearing, moving sheep, dipping, getting the calves to suckle, moving cows, dehorning, all that crap makes me shudder, even to this day, I'm very much an arable farmer at heart, and if pushed I might be able to tell the difference between a goat and a heifer...

Perhaps she would enjoy a couple of hours in the cab with you? As long as it's safe to do so of course...

 

[New Puritan]

Thanks everyone. Yes @Selectamatic - it might not be for her, which is more than understandable really! I do take her to the farm now and again, but she's really not keen. I also take her to our allotment (slightly more keen), we grow things together (like pumpkins etc., which always look funny growing and she likes them); we go strawberry picking and whatnot. Probably the thing she likes the least is our annual trip to the beach to collect seaweed to make liquid fertiliser. So she's getting a sort of "rustic" upbringing, I was just wondering if anyone knew of interesting stories for kids that would set her imagination going about farms.

I think when she's a bit older I can get her to come to the farm and do odd jobs for me for pocket money; plus doing things like growing potatoes on a slightly-larger-than-allotment-scale using my old Ransomes spinner might be a "fun" family thing to do.

I was lucky to grow up in the countryside - first alongside a really old fashioned sounding Norfolk farmyard with cottages and ferrets and a goat and so on; and then later in amongst some Kent orchards. We live in a town now, and are likely to remain so for the foreseable future, so she's not getting the direct experience of the countryside that I had. The farm is just one of the places I go out to work on as far as she is concerned.

I did do a post on here a while back about putting a side seat in my tractor, but it was inconclusive and it turns out you're not really meant to have children that young in the cab.

@awkward - 2 cats and a tortoise are due to move in by the end of the year; @Lili - I'd love to have a few chickens but I don't have a garden at all where I live (hence the allotment).

@multi power - I will check those out!

Thanks everyone.

 

[John]

My son liked apple tree farm books and tractor ted.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Although it may seem a strange recommendation, the Laura Ingalls Wilder books (Little House on the Prairie etc) contain a lot in them about farming the Wild West in the 19th century. They emphasise the importance of the seasons and the closeness to nature. I didn't grow up on a farm but loved these books as a girl and their connection to the natural world and man's attempts to tame it. Getting the interest in the outside world is a great starting point - linking it in to modern farming can come next. She will be able to read them herself in a few year's time, but would need an older family member to start her off.

The 'Laura' in the books is about the same age as your daughter.

 

[New Puritan]

Thanks @Princess Pooper - I might try her on one of those.

A bit of searching on the internet found a few reference books, a couple of which I have ordered her:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1683269...ails?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1499855857&sr=1-2
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1683766...ails?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1499855857&sr=1-3
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1541904...&sr=1-5&keywords=children's+reference+farming
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0746007...ils?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1499855857&sr=1-16
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Fo...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9HY5JKW5HQPGJQ285416
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Farm-Crops...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9HY5JKW5HQPGJQ285416

I've always found Usbourne books to be very good, she's got a few of them for various things.

 

[New Puritan]

@Princess Pooper - I've just ordered her the first in the LHotP series - it was a few pence on Amazon. If she likes it, then I can get her a box set of them.

I also found this: https://delightfulchildrensbooks.com/2010/10/06/farms/

I like the way the reviewer starts off by saying:

"Note: If I were serious about conveying accurate information to my kids about farming, I would purchase a bulk lot of 10,000 chickens for my kids to raise on their toy farm. Instead, my kids’ toy farm has 2 chickens, 2 cows, 2 horses, and 1 tiny tractor that pulls a cart."

 

[New Puritan]

@Princess Pooper - it took ages to convince her, but we've started reading "Little House on the Prairie" and we both really love it. I've not read it before. Thanks!

 

[Lapwing]

Have a look at the Kim Lewis books.

 

[New Puritan]

Thanks @Lapwing - I just searched for that and found we already had some. "Good night Harry" is a nice story, and the artwork is beautiful.

 

[New Puritan]

@Lili - thanks for your recommendation, we have been working through a few Dick King-Smith books and she likes them.

On a related note, I took her to see Jason Ringenberg play in a pub in our town the other night, it was only afterwards I found he has a separate persona as 'Farmer Jason' and has an excellent song (for children, not me of course) about tractors:

 

[New Puritan]

Once again, thank you @Princess Pooper for your LHOTP recommendation. We read all of them, and have recently started going back through them all again. We're on The Long Winter at the moment, where the family get trapped indoors for months, cut off from the outside world, eking out their supplies.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Once again, thank you @Princess Pooper for your LHOTP recommendation. We read all of them, and have recently started going back through them all again. We're on The Long Winter at the moment, where the family get trapped indoors for months, cut off from the outside world, eking out their supplies.

That is my favourite. So glad you have both enjoyed them. How is she coming on as a trainee farm hand?

 

[New Puritan]

That is my favourite. So glad you have both enjoyed them. How is she coming on as a trainee farm hand?

She's still not super keen, but she does like the homesteader type stuff. I've had her grinding wheat up in the little coffee mill I use for grain sampling, and we used that to bake a loaf today. And she helps me plant potatoes and other veg each year, and weed / water / harvest them. I just can't get her interested in tractors. I even bought her a Britains model of a David Brown but she didn't seem all that grateful... She humours me sometimes though, acting out it breaking down / getting stuck etc.