Reading, Writing & Pondering

  Our Friendly Farmhouse by Melissa Fergusson is a tale of one family's dreams that came true. It is aimed at children ages four to eight.  I like that the author wrote this book alongside her children and gives them credit for helping write the book. Our Friendly Farmhouse is a book that is beautifully illustrated by Gretchen Ellen Powers. I love the pastel pictures that show all the fun things that could be going on at the farm. I also like that this book inspired families to either make their own hopes and dreams or reflect on hopes and dreams that came true. In the back of the book, the author shares photos and briefly tells how this is a real dream that came true for her family.    I received a copy of this book from Tommy Nelson. All opinions within this review are my own. 

  Where Are Your Shoes, Mr. Brown? by Justin Rhodes is a beautifully illustrated (Heather Dickinson) fun book to read with young children. This book is a dust-jacketed hardcover children's book aimed at young children under age seven that is 32 pages long. It measures about 9 1/2 inches by 10 inches in size--an especially fun size for reading together. Where Are Your Shoes, Mr. Brown? is written by a popular YouTube homesteader that I honestly wasn't familiar with before reading this book. However, I think this book has some great messages for both young children and their parents/caregivers. I love that this book is written from the point of view of the father. I don't see as many books with Dad as the main character. Mr. Brown is his young son in this book. Rhodes and his wife have five children, which all show up in the beautiful watercolor illustrations of the family on their homestead. Throughout the story, the father and the boy travel around the farm looking for hi...

I absolutely adore The Great Farmapalooza by Jill Roman Lord. This board book has it all: rhyming verses, brightly colored fun illustrations, flaps to lift and it gives kids a glimpse in to life on the farm. This book is as fun to read to children as it is for them to listen and read with you--lifting flaps along the way. The rhyming verse s offers kids a glimpse in to farm life with a look at cows, sheep, ducks, chickens and more. At the same time, the words a positive and uplifting and also talk about God's love and creation. The Great Farmapalooza helps young children (ages 5 and under) learn what sounds farm animals make--and it reminds them to be thankful for the little things every day. Whenever you can get kids involved with flaps to lift, it just adds to their reading fun and excitement. This book has 11 flaps to lift--which is quite a lot for a board book. The book itself is high quality and sturdy and measures approximately 8 inches square. As with many other BH K...