I am the granddaughter of farmers. I also love exploring new books with my three children. My preschool son especially loves all things farming, and our home library contains more than a few titles about farms. When recently offered the chance to review Look, See the Farm! written by Bill Wilson and Katie Fallon with illustrations by Leigh Anne Carter from Hatherleigh Press in exchange for my honest opinion, I eagerly accepted the opportunity to add a new title to my home library. I previously reviewed Look, See the Bird!, so I was excited for the newest title in the series.
Authors/Illustrator
Currently residing in Boston with his wife, author Bill Wilson has over 30 years of domestic and international experience as a consumer-marketing expert. He is also the co-founder of Farms & Beans® Coffee, which is the only coffee brand in the United States that solely roasts Smithsonian Migratory Farm Center ‘Farm Friendly®’ certified beans, 100% shade grown, organic, and Fair-Trade certified coffee. As a for-profit conservation business aimed at helping stop songbird population decline, Farms & Beans conservation is a partner of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and American Farm Conservancy. Prior to the ECM Group, Wilson capped a fast track career in the advertising agency sector by serving as the Executive Vice President of BBDO International.
Author Katie Fallon is a nature writer, educator, and wild farm rehabilitator who also wrote Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Farm and Cerulean Blues: A Personal Search for a Vanishing Songfarm, which was a finalist for the Reed Award for Outstanding Writing on the Southern Environment. Her essays and articles have appeared in a variety of magazines and literary journals. She has taught writing at Virginia Tech and West Virginia University and is a founder of the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia.
Illustrator Leigh Anne Carter is a naturalist and freelance illustrator. After pursuing an education in science illustration in California, she moved back to her native city of Charlotte, North Carolina to share her work with the city in which she grew up. She also illustrated The Birds of Mecklenburg County and is involved in local conservation efforts and education.
Synopsis
Recommended for young readers between the ages of 3 and 7 in preschool through second grade, Look, See the Farm! tells the heartwarming story of two sisters visiting an organic family farm during each of the four seasons. Complete with beautiful illustrations, the book aims to teach children about connecting with nature as sisters Kelsey and Avery learn about local birds and habits. The girls discover many interesting creatures that make the farm home, and young readers will delight in peeking into life on a farm including farm animals and wild birds. The final pages of the book provide additional information about each of the wild birds in the story. A “Questions for Curious Kids” also provides more information about organic farming. The 32-page hardback full-color book currently costs $11.56 on Amazon with a list price of $12.50.
Evaluation
As a homeschooling mom, I love story books that also teach. Look, See the Farm! introduces young readers to wild birds that live on and around farms in North America as well as to life on an organic farm in general. The story is simple enough for preschoolers to understand (two sisters visit their grandparents on their farm during each of the four seasons of the year) but contains enough additional information (facts about specific wild birds such as Northern Bobwhite and Eastern Screech-Owl) to keep older readers interested. I especially appreciate the “Birds in This Book” section at the end of the story, which provides a brief description of each wild bird mentioned in the story.
The hand-drawn illustrations from Leigh Anne Carter in Look, See the Farm! bring the story to life with a softness of style. The birds are colorful but realistic, and the scenes full of interesting details. Both my older kiddos enjoy poring over the pictures. My preschool son enjoys finding the birds described throughout the pages as I read the book aloud to him. My six-year-old daughter, who has been reading on her own for over two years now, can read the text easily on her own. My infant daughter also enjoys listening to the story and looking at the pictures as I read the book out loud to her and her big brother. Overall I am quite impressed with the work of creative nonfiction that is Look, See the Farm!
Final Verdict
If you are searching for a creative nonfiction book about farms and wild birds of North America, I definitely suggest checking out a copy of Look, See the Farm! written by Bill Wilson and Katie Fallon with illustrations by Leigh Anne Carter. The story follows two sisters who visit the organic farm owned by their grandparents during each of the four seasons of the year. The illustrations are soft and colorful and bring the text to life. The final pages of the book also include additional information about each of the wild birds in the story. Look, See the Farm! is an excellent title for introducing farms and the wild birds that make farms a home to young readers.
Purchase Look, See the Farm! on Amazon via my affiliate link.
Image Credits
‘Look, See the Farm!’ Book Review © 2018 Heather Johnson
Front Cover of ‘Look, See the Farm!’ © 2018 Heather Johnson
Back Cover of ‘Look, See the Farm!’ © 2018 Heather Johnson
Inside Pages of ‘Look, See the Farm!’ 1 © 2018 Heather Johnson
Inside Pages of ‘Look, See the Farm!’ 2 © 2018 Heather Johnson