Farm Crops

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-Very brief overviews. Eleven full-page photographs account for half of each book. While they are attractive, they are not the best representations of today's farm animals, and to some extent they give false impressions. For instance, an old one-horned Hereford cow shows a lot of personality, but most farmers would not consider her the best example from their herd. The sow that wallows in the mud or the hog that eats an apple or pokes his snout in the soil for food is also not typical. Most hogs are raised in confinement and never set foot or snout in the mud. They are fed very structured and balanced diets. Illustrations for the farm crops are more accurate, but still represent small farms more than large ones. Small farms are fast disappearing in this country. Of the three Web sites suggested, one is too complex for primary-grade readers; another couldn't be accessed; the third is a site of rare and vanishing breeds of farm animals-not typical or familiar breeds. The further-reading list includes other titles by the same publisher and some by the same author. For better reading, more information, and a more accurate depiction of modern farming, Judy Wolfman's "Life on a Farm" series (Carolrhoda) is a better purchase.-Carolyn Janssen, Children's Learning Center of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.