Monday 5 March 2012

Farm Fun

A selection of farm related books for children young and old;


Farm Fun: Seven stories from Green Willow Farm, including farewell to the swallows, in the woods, fun in the snow, and the scarecrow. Published by Blackie c1944. Written by Elizabeth Gould with super colour and black/white illustrations by Eileen Soper.


The Tractor by Pamela Rogers; The old tractor has broken down once and for all. It seems as if the only answer is to sell it, but Grandpa won't give up, there must be some other way. Portrait of a Country Artist: Charles Tunnicliffe was raised on a small farm in Cheshire. The only son of a country farmer, he was expected to take over his father's smallholding, but his talent as an artist set him apart and instead of farming he took a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London. His first major success came in 1932 with his illustrations for Tarka the otter from this brilliant start he went on to illustrate dozens of books for well-known authors. He also produced several books of his own. This book features a sample from Tunnicliffe's enormous output of work. Ian Niall's portrait described the life of a down-to-earth countryman and totally dedicated artist. Charlotte's Webb by E. B White; Children will be entranced with Charlotte the spider, Wilbur the pig and Fern, the little girl who understands their language. 


Charlie on the run by Elizabeth Rose; Nobody can plough a straighter furrow or manage a wagon load of hay better than Fred the ploughman and Charlie his old horse. Charlie and Fred do everything together, even eating their lunch at the same time. However, one terrible day a snorting monster comes roaring across the yard with Mr. Greenshanks at the wheel. Mr. Greenshanks is sure the new tractor will plough twice as fast as Charlie and plans to sell Charlie at the next horse fair...


Strangers at the farm school by Josephine Elder The Farm School has become so popular it needs to be enlarged to accommodate more students, among the new students are two Jewish refugees.Annis Best and the older pupils must unite to welcome the newcomers and preserve the unique character of the school. Timothy John and Mr. Murphy by George Nash: Mr. Murphy is an Irish farmer and Timothy John his unpredictable donkey. Timmy the donkey can roller-skate and talk and is therefore, much coveted by Mr. Fracklestein, the manager of the circus... Down on the farm by R. & M. Polkinghorne Jerry goes on a visit to Dovecot farm. Pretty book with illustrations by Ernest Aris.


Among the horses by Chas Herbert; While staying with Farmer Bicknell the twins Judy and Jude learn to ride a pony. Old MacDonald had a farm illustrated by Prue Theobalds; Sing along with Old MacDonald as you follow him through the year, from lambing in the spring to the Christmas celebrations. Lucy Mouse keeps a secret by Jane Pilgrim; The very popular Blackberry Farm books were first published by the Brockhampton Press in the 1950s; this one is a reprint from 2002. The series described events on a fictional farm and the lives of  Mr. and Mrs. Smiles and their children, Joy and Bob.

Do you have any farm books in your collection?

Update July 2016: All the books featured are now sold. March House books closed on my retirement in 2015, but I am still happily blogging here at March of Time Books. Your visits are always appreciated.

16 comments:

  1. Michelle Yardley5 March 2012 at 13:49

    That's a good idea putting farm related books together, I would never have thought of doing that. Now you've inspired me to round up all those books that I thought didn't really belong anywhere.
    Farm books? I probably do have some.

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  2. barbaraannefisher5 March 2012 at 14:45

    Hello Michelle,excellent, I will look forward to seeing them. I think half the fun of visiting other blogs is finding inspiration.

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  3. The Desert Rocks5 March 2012 at 15:46

    Wonder why we had to be indoctrinated into farm life at an early age? I lived in the suburbs and of course read Charlotte's Web and I remember a few of the others. Strange, but I guess it's good to be prepared? By the way, congratulations on being part of that uber collection!

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  4. What a lot of fun books. I've never thought about a children's category, such as farms. I love covers on children's books. They're so much more creative than ours.

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  5. What a great collection Barbara - I love the first two illustrations and the way the horses are lit in 'Portrait of a Country Artist' is very effective. I must try to look up more of Charles Tunnicliffe's work.

    My son had a fabulous book called 'Old Farm New Farm' about a farmer who renovates an old run-down farm and gets it up and running again. I have it packed away at the moment but sometime after our move I must get it out and look at it again.

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  6. These books look fantastic! I have read Charlotte's Web- but I don't think I have read any of the others. I would love to read Among the Horses and Charlie on the Run (I love horses). I can't think of any famr books that I have- but I do have a lot of books about horses. I will have to think about this a bit more and see if I have any farm favorites. :)

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  7. barbaraannefisher6 March 2012 at 11:16

    I was brought up on a farm, and had no interest at all in farm books. I wanted to read about travel and adventure! Now, I look back and realise how fortunate I was, but I certainly didn’t feel like that back then. Thank you for your congratulations.

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  8. barbaraannefisher6 March 2012 at 11:18

    I want to share as many books as I can, but it is difficult to group them together, so a collection of farm books seemed like a good idea to me. It's quite a broad category that gave me lots of leeway.

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  9. barbaraannefisher6 March 2012 at 11:26

    Thank you, Sharon. Charles Tunnicliffe is a brilliant artist – I love his work. He illustrated quite a few of Alison Uttley’s countryside books, and they have always been favourites of mine.

    I don’t know ‘old farm new farm’ I tried to look it up on ABE books, but that title brings up 434 matches – so I gave up. It would be lovely to see it on your blog sometime. Good luck with your move, I hope it goes well.

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  10. barbaraannefisher6 March 2012 at 11:32

    Hi Jess, thanks for calling in. Horse and pony books are always popular; I have a few in my collection. I’ve grown to love things like Old MacDonald had a farm and the Blackberry farm books. I only read Charlotte’s web for the first time last year, but really enjoyed it and must read it again sometime soon.

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  11. I've often, very often, imagined living on a farm, Barbara. Your recommendations look great. Of course, the E.B. White classic is one I'll definitely read (yep, I'm one of the few left in this kidlit world who hasn't read it yet). A farm book I started last year but somehow strayed from is Tom Sawyer. (Does this count as a farm book?)

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  12. barbaraannefisher9 March 2012 at 09:51

    Hello Claudine, you're not on your own. I only read Charlott’s Webb for the first time last year! I had resisted it up until then because I couldn’t imagine being in the least bit interested in a spider and a pig named Wilbur, but I could not have been more wrong. I loved it, and will read it again as soon as I get the time.

    I picture Tom sawyer and his aunt Polly living on the banks of the Mississippi River – was it on a farm? I don’t know. It's been years since I read it. I think of Tom as a ‘farm boy’ so I’m sure we can include it.

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  13. I found your blog on the Candy Delights and Story Time Blog. I'm glad I visited your site. It brings back so many cherised childhood memories. I am a new follower.
    Elle
    http://ellesfadedparchment.blogspot.com/

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  14. barbaraannefisher9 March 2012 at 21:47

    Hello Elle, thank you for calling in, leaving a comment and following my blog. Candy delights and story time is a lovely blog! I’m going to pay a visit to you now, thanks again Barbara.

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  15. These books sound like great reads! But would you believe that I haven't read Charlotte's Web yet?? I have it in my room - perhaps I'll start it later (need something nice and sweet to get the blog cogs turning again! Hehe.)

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  16. barbaraannefisher18 March 2012 at 21:02

    I would believe it Sophie because I only read it recently too! I had it in my TBR pile for ages. Looking forward to those clogs turning – more nice things to read!

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I really appreciate your comment. Thank you!
Barbara xx