My Dad Works on a Farm

Children's Literature

Each entry in the "Welcome Books" series pictures in photographs and descriptions an occupation of a family member as seen through the eyes of a child. Books feature a "Contents" page, new word glossary, a selection of trade or series books on the topic, and Websites that visit a Vermont farm and play around with milk facts. Simple and mundane text, large font, one or two sentences per page, and plenty of white space support the reader and offer basic vocabulary. Here, Miguel who looks to be about a third grader and his dad work on a dairy farm. While readers can see the people, the milking pages don't show the act of milking, and a picture of "grain" nonetheless looks like feed pellets and not remotely like wheat, corn, or some other food, which may confuse young readers. People of various racial or ethnic backgrounds are pictured throughout the series and Miguel and his father look Latino. Children may wonder why those working with food don't observe better sanitation techniques but there's enough information here to talk with young children about people who working the food business. And they can read this book on their own. 2002, Children's Press,
— Susan Hepler