A Visit to the Farm

Children's Literature

A very basic introduction to farms with an indicated reading level of 1, this book is suitable for only the youngest school-age children. Very simple information is provided in a very basic way. The text of the book is a mere 16 pages long, with half of the space given over to photographs. Farm buildings, farm animals and fields and crops are all very briefly discussed. A note on the CIP page for parents and teachers suggests that this is a good book for beginning readers because of the controlled vocabulary and repetition. However, the book is a fairly boring read. There is brief mention of harvesting crops, but surprisingly for a book about farms, no information about planting. The photographs illustrate the text well and are almost more informative. A glossary, index and suggestions for further reading and websites are included. 2004, Capstone Press, Ages 4 to 7.
—Sharon Oliver

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-The docile look of a cow on a farm, the friendly look of a Dalmatian at the fire station, and the smiling face of a child at the library on the covers of these oversized books are as inviting as the vivid, cheery photos inside. Two to three sentences of large, simple text face full-page, distinctive photos of real places and real people. Children learn about the buildings, animals, and fields and crops on a farm. At the fire station, they see the trucks and gear and how the firemen work together. Finally, they learn about the many aspects of a public library. The FactHound Web site is kid friendly, with few visual distractions and lots of appeal. Attractive, accessible introductions.-Susan Shaver, Hemingford Public Schools, NE Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.