Tag: farm

Masha Munching (Amalia Hoffman)

Leave a comment

Hello, friends! Our book today is Masha Munching by Amalia Hoffman, a hilarious tale of table manners.

Masha the goat and her barnyard friends love nothing more than to share their meals. Every breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Masha and her pals chomp on hay, gnaw on tree branches, and slurp up water. Yet Masha is feeling a little tired of the same menu day after day. She puts on her fanciest dress and decides to explore other types of food, leaving her friends at the farm with a promise to return. Down the road, she discovers a fancy restaurant run by a penguin named Monsieur Pierre, and she is excited to try his menu du jour. However, there may be a miscommunication as to exactly what is on that menu…

A delightful romp. I can honestly say, I did not see the twist of this story coming, and when it did, it had me and JJ in absolute stitches. Hoffman uses repetition and well-paced comedic timing to tell a comedy of manners that young readers will love. The hand-drawn paper-cut artwork makes for unique and somewhat folksy visuals, but never feels flat or boring. The length is great for any storytime, and JJ had a blast with this one, especially Monsieur Pierre’s comical outbursts. An enjoyably absurd story, and a real treat – Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Who Is It, Whoodini? (Roman Yasiejko)

Leave a comment

Hello, friends! Our book today is Who Is It, Whoodini?, written by Roman Yasiejko and illustrated by Gustavo Ramos, a playful pastoral tale of a mysterious discovery.

One day, two owls’ teatime is disrupted by a larger, colorful bird crashing into a nearby tree. Whoodini, a deerstalker-and-cape-clad owl, and her trusty pal Cahoots are on the case, embarking on an investigation to identify the rabble-rouser and where they’ve come from. After questioning a few animals at the nearby farm, Whoodini overhears a conversation that breaks the case wide open – but can the reader figure out the answer before the final page?

Uneven yet ambitious. What works in this Holmesian mystery tale for young readers works very well; it is a fun guessing game to try and determine the mystery behind the crashing bird, and one that is simple enough for little bookworms to suss out on their own if they so choose. The rhyming text flows extremely well, and it is a lot of fun to read aloud. I was even pleasantly surprised by Whoodini being given female pronouns, yet not overtly “feminized” visually; it was nice to find that our intrepid sleuth was a girl all along. However, there are a few areas falter a bit. I could nitpick about Whoodini’s slightly confusing name, especially as she is clearly modeled thematically and visually after Sherlock Holmes, but the main distraction was the disconnect between the artwork and story. While both are wonderful in their own right, it felt odd to have such a playful mystery paired with such deeply atmospheric acrylic and gouache paintings. While the artwork is gorgeous, it feels a little too weighty for such a light story, and the characters often blend in to the scenery a little too much. Otherwise, the length is fine for a storytime, and JJ did enjoy the final reveal. This one is definitely worth a look; even with its flaws, it’s a delightful ride from start to finish. Baby Bookworm approved.

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Prairie Days (Patricia MacLachlan)

Leave a comment

Hello, friends! Our book today is Prairie Days, written by Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by Micha Archer, a sweet summery ode to simple farm life.

A girl reminisces of the place “where I was born”, seeing herself as a elementary aged-child on a pastoral farm on the prairie. She vividly describes moments and scenes of this quiet country home: the scent of cattle and wildflowers as she lies down in a field to ponder the clouds; swimming in underclothes in a cool pond; riding horses and playing with farm dogs; cold bottles of soda from a metal tank; reading under homemade quilts as summer night air breezes through the curtains. It’s a life of simplicity and a fair bit of nostalgia, quiet and cozy and carefree.

Lovely. Told from the point of view of the single protagonist, this remembrance of endless skies and playful summers has a wonderfully soothing quality in both prose and visuals (the timeline is undefined, though machines and a shop’s wares indicate early mid-century). The text is has the rhythm and structure of cowboy poetry, as well as the simple yet ardent language of the same. The mixed-media art is standout, creating sumptuous two-page spreads filled with details, colors, and emotion. It’s a fairly insular look at one person’s childhood memories, yet made grand and sweeping by the illustrations and words. The length was great, and JJ was fascinated with the art. A soothing, sunny read, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Prairie Days (Patricia MacLachlan)

Leave a comment

Hello, friends! Our book today is Prairie Days, written by Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by Micha Archer, a sweet summery ode to simple farm life.

A girl reminisces of the place “where I was born”, seeing herself as a elementary aged-child on a pastoral farm on the prairie. She vividly describes moments and scenes of this quiet country home: the scent of cattle and wildflowers as she lies down in a field to ponder the clouds; swimming in underclothes in a cool pond; riding horses and playing with farm dogs; cold bottles of soda from a metal tank; reading under homemade quilts as summer night air breezes through the curtains. It’s a life of simplicity and a fair bit of nostalgia, quiet and cozy and carefree.

Lovely. Told from the point of view of the single protagonist, this remembrance of endless skies and playful summers has a wonderfully soothing quality in both prose and visuals (the timeline is undefined, though machines and a shop’s wares indicate early mid-century). The text is has the rhythm and structure of cowboy poetry, as well as the simple yet ardent language of the same. The mixed-media art is standout, creating sumptuous two-page spreads filled with details, colors, and emotion. It’s a fairly insular look at one person’s childhood memories, yet made grand and sweeping by the illustrations and words. The length was great, and JJ was fascinated with the art. A soothing, sunny read, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

George The Hero Hound (Jeffrey Ebbeler)

Leave a comment

Hello, friends! Our book today is George The Hero Hound by Jeffrey Ebbeler, the story of a hardworking hound dog and his new family.

George is indispensable on Farmer Fritz’s farm, helping the aging farmer with his finicky factor and to corral the wily cows. But when Fritz retires, he leaves George behind to be sold along with the farm and other animals. A city family named the Gladstones purchase George and company, and set about trying to learn the ropes of farm life (poorly). George, good hound that he is, does his part to help the family as they work out farming life, even tracking down toddler Olive when she wanders off. And after some growing pains, George finds new purpose looking after the farm and his new family.

Very uneven. The story threw me from the get-go by introducing the plot point that George was being sold as a part of the farm, the explanation given that Farmer Fritz is moving to a beachside bungalow that doesn’t allow dogs. Okaaay… but wouldn’t the farmer at least inform his faithful, hardworking friend’s new owners of George’s NAME? It’s a sideplot that doesn’t satisfyingly resolve itself, and sort of gives the impression that dog ownership is something you can foist off on others when you feel like it. Also, there is a distracting discrepancy in the character of Olive, who appears to be an older toddler (around 4) but is described as a baby and having not said her first words. It’s a really strange disconnect for anyone familiar with kids. This aside, the high point of the book is the art, which features some phenomenal background gags of the clever cattle getting into all sorts of silly adventures. But therein lies the problem: if your background art is more interesting than your main story, something isn’t working. The length was okay and JJ was mildly interested, but honesty? I would have preferred a book starring the cows. Not for us.