In this delightful sequel to “Carlos y la Planta de Calabaza”, Carlos is told by his father that “you reap what you sow”. After some humorous experiences, Carlos comes to understand the rewards of hard work and learns a valuable lesson in listening. Full color.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 8, Issue 4
On the eve of World War II, young Alejandro comes of age on his family’s South Texas farm, known as Chicken Foot Farm because of how his mother marks her chicks. “Mama held the chick against her breast and splayed its left foot between her thumb and index finger. With her free hand she… quickly cut off the end of the chick’s shortest toe.” Rich with the customs and traditions of rural, Mexican-American life, Chicken Foot Farm depicts a multi-generational family in flux as change crawls relentlessly toward their land and lifestyle. As the seasons–and loved ones–come and go and misfortunes befall the family, Alejandro learns the lessons of life: the importance of family, honesty, hard work, and compassion. When the kitchen burns down one night, Alejandro feels they have lost something integral to their family unity. But his father promises they will build another kitchen, the new one better than the old. As Abuela Luciana ages, she begins to behave erratically, burning tortillas, forgetting to add water to the beans she is cooking, and even disappearing from the farm. She is certain someone has cursed her–put mal de ojo on her. How can the family cure her when she is the curandera, the one who has always taken care of them? Most importantly, Alejandro works hard to win his father’s approval, even though Papa generally ignores him in favor of the eldest son, Ernesto, who Papa says will inherit the farm. When Ernesto joins the Army, the family must face the possibility that he may not return as the entire country is thrown into the uncertainty of war. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, young Alejandro notices something new in his family’s kitchen: a framed United States flag now hangs on the wall. “It’s something I can do for the war,” his Abuela Luciana tells him. Not understanding, she explains to him, “I can remind people that we are Americans.” In these poignant images of a time and place long gone, Anne Estevis sketches a tight-knit, Mexican-American community on the cusp of a new way of life as tractors replace mules and modern science competes with superstitious beliefs.
The sheep bleats, “Baa, baa, baa.” She gives us warm, soft wool. Giving to me, giving to you, Together there’s a lot we can do. The beautifully illustrated picture book TOGETHER introduces children to farm animals and the ways they work to provide for us. 50,000 paperback editions of TOGETHER are being donated to Heifer International for distribution.
As World War II draws to an end, Russian soldiers occupy Schwartz, Germany, bringing both friendship and hardship to the family of ten-year-old Fritz, whose grandfather was a Nazi sympathizer, eventually forcing them to leave their farm, then arresting Fritz’s mother and her hired hand.
One day Papa buys Bird, an old horse that can carry Archie and his brother to school every day. And the two boys are delighted with the gentle mare, which follows them around as they do their chores on the farm. It isn’t long, however, before Bird reveals another side to her personality. Despite Papa’s efforts to keep her out of the barn, Bird manages to open the latch and let herself in every time. And when she doesn’t get her own way, Bird develops a habit of bucking off the boys along the trail to and from school. A despairing Papa finally decides that Bird has to be returned. There’s no place on a farm for an animal that doesn’t earn its keep. But Bird isn’t ready to leave. The stubborn old mare does have a place on the farm despite her age. All she has to do is seize the opportunity and show everyone what she’s been capable of all along. Based on a true story, Irene Morck’s new picture book is a delightful tale that children will love. But it is the subtle, deeper message – old does not mean useless – which will have a lasting impact on readers of all ages. Artist Muriel Wood accompanies the text with exquisite paintings that are deeply coloured and full of character, leaving their own heartfelt signature on this moving story.
Poor Farmer Joe. No matter how hard he tries to clean up the farm, he receives anonymous letters of complaint. Who can the mystery letter writer be? Could Louisa the prima donna pig have anything to do with it?
There was a farmer who had lots of animals that got swept away by a tornado. The twister left behind a mountain of scrap metal and machine parts. When a tornado leaves a farmer with a heap of scrap metal and no animals, his neighbors are sure it’s all over for him. But the determined farmer refuses to admit defeat. His plans are big, and when his neighbors dismiss them with the words, When pigs fly, they grow bigger still. The farmer sets to work to turn that scrap metal into some surprising creatures.
“A charming picture book filled with a small child’s joyous love for all the animals on her farm. Large, bold illustrations and a clear text fairly explode with exuberance.” —School Library JournalI love Jock, my dog… I love the donkey braying “Hee-haw”Do you love animals, too? Flora McDonnell’s exuberant salute to our favorite beasts—a gallant dog, two genial ducks, an adoring ewe and her rowdy lamb, among many others—captures their characters in large, brilliant portraits. Perfect for sharing with several children or just one, I LOVE ANIMALS is as much fun as a visit to a real farm.
Times sure are tough on the ranch, and Waynetta and her ma can use all the luck they can get. But when Waynetta trades their last longhorn for a handful of so-called magic corn, Ma is none too pleased. “The only magic this corn’s got is the disappearin’ kind,” she says, and tosses it out the window. But come the next morning, there’s a giant cornstalk growing up to the sky, and Waynetta climbs it to find her own luck… Helen Ketteman’s Texas-style retelling of “Jack and the Beanstalk” is full of cowgirl sass. Diane Greenseid’s paintings bring rollicking new life to a familiar tale. The author lives in Florida; the illustrator lives in California.
Piri is a city girl, but every year she goes to visit her grandmother Babi on her farm in the Ukrainian village of Komjaty. There is a lot that Piri finds strange, even scary, in Komjaty, such as the ghost in the form of a rooster who supposedly haunts the cemetery! But Piri loves country life: making corn bread, eating plums right off the tree, venturing out with her grandmother in the early morning to hunt for mushrooms. And during her time with Babi, Piri learns lessons that will stay with her all of her life, about the importance of honest hard work, of caring for the less fortunate, and of having the courage to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. In these nine stories, Aranka Siegal paints a tender portrait of the love between a grandmother and granddaughter, inspired by her own experiences with her grandmother.