Life on a Cattle Farm

Children's Literature

Meet Adam Smith. He lives on an American beef cattle farm, and he is here to tell what his life is like. He discusses the care given to pregnant cows and newborn calves, the jobs of feeding, disease prevention, cleaning the barn, mending fences, raking the hay and getting the cattle ready for sale. About half of each page is text and half is comprised of clear, full-color photographs that give further insight into life on the farm and the personalities of the cattle as well as the humans who live there. A close-up of a cow on page eight will be enough to get readers hooked. With its informative and entertaining photographs and written in the voice of Adam Smith, this book has great appeal. It is part of the "Life on a Farm" series in which a child on the farm speaks directly to the reader. Three children's books comprise the annotated bibliography, and four web sites are listed. The annotations help readers know what they can find at these sites. Fun Facts about Cattle, a glossary and an index are included. 2002, Carolrhoda Books, $23.93. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo

School Library Journal

Gr 3-4-This series entry introduces Adam Smith, who lives on a small beef cattle farm in Pennsylvania, and the narrative presents easy-to-understand information about raising these animals. The facts are general to all cattle breeds, although the Smiths raise 50 polled Herefords. Most of the animals are sold, so the concentration is on raising healthy breeding cattle. The descriptions of breeding, birth, vaccination, and castration are briefly explained for young readers. The simplicity will be appreciated by city children, while rural children may find it too limited. One detail is not quite correct. After cleaning out the barn, readers are told that "hay" was spread on the floor as bedding. Straw is usually used for bedding, and hay is used as feed. Sharp, clear, full-color photos appear on every page. The listed Web sites have limited information. While perhaps not as complete as other titles in the series, this book does give a competent, appealing look at current farm life.-Carolyn Janssen, Children's Learning Center of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.