100 Best Children's Farm Books of All Time
We've researched and ranked the best children's farm books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more
His cows like to type.
All day long he hears
Click, clack, MOO.
Click, clack, MOO.
Clickety, clack, MOO.
But Farmer Brown's problems REALLY begin when his cows start leaving him notes....
Doreen Cronin's understated text and Betsy Lewin's expressive illustrations make the most of this hilarious situation. Come join the fun as a bunch of literate cows turn Farmer Brown's farm upside down. less
This beloved book by E. B. White, author of Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan, is a classic of children's literature that is "just about perfect." This paper-over-board edition includes a foreword by two-time Newbery winning author Kate DiCamillo.
Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little... more
Mary BurkeyOne thing that was also very nice was having a title that’s for younger children recognized as a truly stellar audiobook, because sometimes people think that audiobooks are to help kids learn to read and not for them to fall in love with literature. And that’s what the audiobook recording of Charlotte’s Web does. It lets young kids and their parents revisit a beautiful title and fall in love with... (Source)
One reviewer wrote 'In a hundred years' time perhaps Animal... more
Whitney Cummings[Whitney Cummings recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)
Vlad TenevWhen I was in sixth grade I remember being very upset by the ending of [this book]. (Source)
Sol OrwellQuestion: What books had the biggest impact on you? Perhaps changed the way you see things or dramatically changed your career path. Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984 (though Huxley's Brave New World is a better reflection of today's society). (Source)
With an original twist on the ordinary barnyard picture book, this read-aloud from bestselling author Karma Wilson is a clever exploration of a curious incident on the farm. As the farmer makes his rounds each day, most of the animals chew on the foods a young reader would expect. But when it’s time to feed the cow, she... more
And so Duck rides past sheep, horse, and all the other barnyard animals. Suddenly, a group of kids ride by on their bikes and run into the farmhouse, leaving the bikes outside. What will happen... more
New York Times bestselling author/artist Loren Long creates an unforgettable children's classic. Otis is a special tractor. He loves his farmer and he loves to work. And he loves the little calf in the next stall, whom he purrs to sleep with his soft motor. In fact, the two become great friends: they play in the fields, leap hay bales, and play ring-around-the-rosy by Mud Pond.
But when Otis is replaced with the big yellow tractor, he is cast away behind the barn, unused, unnoticed . . . until the little calf gets stuck in Mud Pond. Then there is only one tractor—and... more
"Cows in the pasture, moo, moo, moo. Roosters in the barnyard, cock-a-doodle-doo . . ."
It's another noisy morning on the farm, and all of the animals are where they should be -- except Goose. And where is Goose? Young children will enjoy clucking, mucking, mewing, and cooing while they search for Goose on every gorgeously illustrated spread. less
They run away to the big city. But they get lost, wander into a restaurant, and even stumble into a hardware store and get covered in paint! Where is Mrs. Wishy-Washy when they need her? Maybe her farm isn't so bad after all . . . less
Don't have time to read the top Children's Farm books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Barry EstabrookMichael Pollan looks at food production through four meals. One is a fast-food meal, the other is an industrial-scale organic meal, then there is a small-scale organic meal and finally he actually goes out and either grows or kills, in the case of the meat, the entire meal himself. That is the narrative. (Source)
Gabriel CoarnaMichael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" --more precisely, the first 3rd of it-- was what first made me realize how badly the Earth, as an ecosystem, is out of balance. (Source)
Tristram StuartHe concludes that there is food out there that tastes good, is good for us and is good for the planet. (Source)
Duck and his friends are at it again. But this time they’re pooling their considerable resources to win a local talent show, because first prize is a trampoline!
The cows want to sing.
The sheep want to sing.
The pigs want to...dance. Dance?... more
The Tuckers' farm is a peaceful place. Everyone has a job and no one complains. That is, until a hapless peacock falls off the back of a passing truck and stirs things up. Soon, customers are flocking to the farm to see what all the fuss is about. But the hens don't like the newcomer getting attention while they do all the hard work. The wise old hound sees the problem and helps orchestrate a job swap. What follows is the hilarious tale... more
Filled with truck sounds and animals noises, here is a rollicking homage to the power of friendship and the rewards of helping others. less
Down on the farm there are many colorful and noisy animals to spy. Look through the spy hole and use the clues to guess which one is next. Then turn the page to reveal the animal. Watch as young children quickly become engaged in the game — joining in with the animal noises, learning colors, and eventually recognizing the letters. less
Don't have time to read the top Children's Farm books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
"I was walking down the road and I saw...
a donkey,
Hee Haw!
And he only had three legs!
He was a wonky donkey."
Children will be in fits of laughter with this perfect read-aloud tale of an endearing donkey. By the book's final page, readers end up with a spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey!
Download the free song at more
Hannah Fry@robeastaway @icecolbeveridge P.s. you know this is basically the plot to objectively the best book of all time - the wonky donkey (Source)
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Having lost her moo, Cow is stuck clucking. The only thing to do is go out and find that moo! Join Cow and her friends as they conduct their vocal barnyard search. Cow tramps through a wheat field and on into the starry night until she is too tired to look any farther. But in the end, Cow and her moo are reunited, and all is well.
The simple repetition will have children chanting right along with Cow—"It is not you who has my moo!"
Using a van Gogh-inspired palette and art style, Caldecott Honor winner... more
On Tuesday, Mrs. Greenstalk was too tired to make dinner. . . .
But meanwhile, back at the barn . . .
Cow sets up her drums.
Pig plugs in his amp.
Goat tunes his bass.
Chicken sets up her keyboards.
And Sheep checks the microphone.
They are Punk Farm and tonight they're ready to ROCK!
With adorable farm animals - and a surprise tribute to Old MacDonald - this rollicking tale is sure to have kids cheering--and singing--along. less
There's more trouble on the farm, but Duck has nothing to do with it, for once. This time the trouble is a four-ounce puff of fluff who just won't go to sleep, and whose play-with-me "peeps" are keeping the whole barnyard awake with him.
Peep!
Peep!
Peep!
How do you get a baby duck to hit the... more
Single, thirtysomething, working as a writer in New York City, Kristin Kimball was living life as an adventure. But she was beginning to feel a sense of longing for a family and for home. When she interviewed a dynamic young farmer, her world changed. Kristin knew nothing about growing vegetables, let alone raising pigs and cattle and driving horses. But on an impulse, smitten, if... more
Julia Donaldson turns her literary expertise to a farm setting, and comes up with a rollicking barnyard mystery. Lydia Monks' colorful collage illustrations go perfectly with the story for a winning combination. Readers will quack, neigh, moo, and cheer for the ladybug all the way through!
What the Ladybug Heard is a 2011 Bank Street - Best... more
Don't have time to read the top Children's Farm books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Pairing two talented creators who managed to tell a complete story with just one word—MOO—this imaginative picture book will have readers laughing one moment and on the edge of their seats the next, as it captures the highs and lows of a mischievous cow's very exciting day. less
Old MacDonald has some new friends on the farm: Old MacDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-O. And on that farm he had a...TRUCK?! With a DIG DIG here and a SCOOP SCOOP there, this classic folk song just got revved up! Beloved machines—the excavator, dump truck, bulldozer, and more—will have vehicle enthusiasts of all ages reading and singing along.
• With colorful, fun illustrations, and subtle themes of gender equality, both parents and kids will enjoy this story... more
What did you see?
I saw a black cat
Looking at me.
These catchy stanzas frolic through the Australian author Sue Williams’s simple, funny read-aloud picture book that tracks a crazy-haired boy’s stroll through the countryside. The boy sees a black cat, then a brown horse, then a red cow, and so on, and before he knows it, he’s being trailed by the entire menagerie! The Australian illustrator Julie Vivas brings the parade to life in lovely, lively watercolors—when the pink pig looks at the boy, for example, the boy sprays off his muddy body with a... more
A baby clown is separated from his family when he accidentally bounces off their circus train and lands in a lonely farmer’s vast, empty field. The farmer reluctantly rescues the little clown, and over the course of one day together, the two of them make some surprising discoveries about themselves—and about life!
Sweet, funny, and moving, this wordless picture book from a... more
Happy first birthday, Little Duck!
Everyone wants to look their best for the party. But Little Duck has never had a birthday before—so how better to learn how to prepare than to do what all the other animals do! The sheep trim their wool—so Little Duck trims her feathers. The pigs need a mud bath—so Little Duck quish and quashes, too. All over the barnyard Little Duck snips,... more
This time around, the pigs want to pitch in, and boy, do they ever! The Greenstalks soon find, though, that life might just be a little easier without their help...
Pigs to the Rescue is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. less
Flushed with the success of his trailblazing bike ride around the farm, Duck decides he's ready to drive the tractor. As in the bestselling Duck on a Bike, all the barnyard animals share their humorous comments as they watch Duck do the unthinkable. Then, one by one, they join him on the tractor for a ride!
But what... more
It is our pleasure, our honor, our duty as citizens to present to you Duck for President. Here is a duck who began in a humble pond. Who worked his way to farmer. To governor. And now, perhaps, to the highest office in the land.
Some say, if he walks like a duck and talks like a duck, he is a duck.
We say, if he walks like a duck and talks like a duck, he will be the next president of the United States of America.
Thank you for your vote.
lessSalley VickersGibbons gives you a wickedly funny pastiche of all the possible psychological complaints…hysteria, paranoia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sexual repression and it’s opposite. (Source)
Don't have time to read the top Children's Farm books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
The farm is bursting with activity.
Cluck
Whack!
The chickens build a fence around the cornfield.
Moo
Thwack!
The cows give the barn a fresh coat of paint.
Thump. Quack!
Duck builds the ticket booth for the hot-air balloon ride.
Everyone is excited. Well, Duck is not excited exactly. But he has a plan. As Farmer Brown designs the corn maze for the festival, Duck does some designing of his own. Guess who's in for a big... more
Most little chicks barely make a peep, but not this little chick! While his brothers and sisters nestle close to their mother hen, this little chick struts off on his own to make some new friends in the farmyard. And he has a wonderful time of it - sliding off the back of a shiny pink pig, hopping along with frogs, skipping with a flock of frisky sheep, and imitating all the sounds these animals make. Full of playful detail, John Lawrence’s bold, energetic engravings will keep toddlers smiling, long after the... more
Who munches the grass? Hungry cows!
Who rolls in the mud? Playful pigs!
Who greets the day? Crowing roosters!
Indestructibles is the trusted series for easing little ones into story time. Beloved by babies and their parents, Indestructibles are built for the way babies “read” (i.e., with their hands and mouths) and are:
Rip Proof—made of ultra-durable tight-woven material
Waterproof—can be chewed on, drooled on, and washed!
Emergent... more
Thus begins the new novel from John Grisham, a story inspired by his own childhood in rural Arkansas. The narrator is a farm boy named Luke Chandler, age seven, who lives in the cotton fields with... more
Don't have time to read the top Children's Farm books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
A cow says MOO.
A sheep says BAA.
Three singing pigs say LA LA LA!
“No, no!” you say, “that isn’t right.
The pigs say OINK all day and night.”
The original Moo, Baa, La La La! sold more than 3 million copies when it was first published, and thirty years later this delightful board book remains a favorite among children and parents. Complete with silly rhymes and containing redrawn art... more
The Cow Said Neigh! is the story of some peculiar farm animals who wish they were like other animals on the farm. The cow wants to run free like a horse, the sheep wants a snout like a pig, the dog wants to be inside like the cat. Soon the... more
Beep! Beep! Beep! It’s time for sleep. Say goodnight with Little Blue Truck and friends!
A storm is brewing and Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are hurrying home for bed. But who can sleep with all that racket? It’s not long before other friends show up seeking safety from the storm. Thunder and lightning sure can be scary, but it’s easy to be brave together. When the clouds roll on and the sky is clear, it’s all aboard for a bedtime ride! Beep! Beep! Shhh . . .
Illustrated by John Joseph in... more
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The other chickens hate snowy mornings. But not Minerva Louise! To her a snowy day--like everything else--is an adventure. But this chilly, chipper hen needs something to keep her warm. What she finds--and how she finds it--will keep young readers cackling.
"Minerva Louise expresses a range of emotions from pleasure to curiosity. . . . A great choice for storytime."--School Library Journal, starred review
An ALA Notable Book more
You might think a farm means fields, tractors, and a barnyard full of animals. But you can plant a farm anywhere you like! A box or a bucket, a boot or a pan almost anything can be turned into a home for green, growing things. Windows, balconies, and front steps all make wonderful spots to start. Who knows what plants you may choose to grow and who will come to see your new garden? Phyllis Root delivers a modern rhyming mantra for anyone hoping to put their green thumbs to good use,... more
Don't have time to read the top Children's Farm books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
While Tom Farmer naps in the haystack, his animals take over the farmhouse. There are cows in the kitchen, ducks in the cupboard, hens on the hat stand, pigs in the pantry, and even sheep on the sofa! What will happen when Tom Farmer wakes up? June Crebbin’s boisterous text - a wild and wacky version of a nursery song modeled on "Skip to My Lou" - and Katharine McEwen’s spirited illustrations combine for some riotous barnyard fun. less
This barnyard tour will have its audience crowing with delight (and discovering interesting information about animals) as they study the big, bold paintings of the animals and birds. "An ideal book for the beginning reader to entertain a younger sibling in a game they'll both enjoy. A natural... more
The goats, the cats and dogs.
Everything went dandy...
Until the farmer reached his hogs.
"No hogwash for us today. Pigs love dirt - so go away!"
Farmer's stubborn pigs refuse to be hogwashed, and no matter what he tries, poor Farmer cannot trick them into getting clean! But when several failed attempts leave him stuck in the mud, our determined farmer realizes his hogs may have been on to something all along... sometimes a mud bath is even better!
New York Times best-selling author Karma... more
How many animals will it take to pull Chick out of the mud?
A fun-packed farmyard romp with a surprise foldout ending! less
Watch a Video less
Don't have time to read the top Children's Farm books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Otis and his farm friends love to play hide-and-seek. Otis especially loves to be "It," finding his friends as they hide. Yet when the newest addition to the farm—a bounding puppy who can't sit still and has a habit of licking faces—tries to hide, he finds his attention wandering and is soon lost in the forest. Night falls and Otis, knowing his new friend is afraid of the dark, sets out to find him. There's just one problem: Otis is also afraid of the dark. His friend is alone and in need, though, so Otis takes a deep breath,... more
On an old, old farm
In a rickety, crickety
Tumbledown barn,
Everyone slept peacefully-
But not the flea . . .
A delightfully silly barnyard tale-now in paperback
What happens when a flea gets a bad case of the sniffles? Utter pandemonium in the barnyard! This rollicking picture book follows a lovable flea and his exceptional sneeze through the mayhem. Before the night is over, every animal-from the mouse to the cow-has something to say. Will the animals ever fall back to... more
When Reena, her little brother, Luke, and their parents first move to Maine, Reena doesn’t know what to expect. She’s ready for beaches, blueberries, and all the lobster she can eat. Instead, her... more
Once upon a time, Old MacDonald didn’t have a farm. He just had a yard — a yard he didn’t want to mow. But under the direction of the wise (and ecologically sensitive) Little Red Hen, Mac learns to look at the environment in a very different way, and whole new worlds start to bloom with the help of some mud, garbage, horse poop, and worms! Judy Sierra’s spirited verse, paired with Matthew Myers’s exuberant illustrations, yields a fresh... more
Farmer Brown does not like Halloween. So he draws the shades, puts on his footy pajamas, and climbs into bed.
But do you think the barnyard animals have any respect for a man in footy pajamas? No, they do not. For them, the Halloween party has just begun. And we all know these critters far prefer tricks over treats.
There are big surprises in store for Farmer Brown! less
Don't have time to read the top Children's Farm books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Cock-a-doodle-doo.
Wake up, girls,
And little boys, too.
Breakfast ham pop-pops, cow moo as they're being milked, girls feed clucking hens, and boys split wood--wack! When chores are done, rockers squeak, and kids play games while Grandma's knitting needles click and the clock ticks.
Rhythms, rhyme, and onomatopoeia are used to describe a day in the life of a farm family. less
Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients.
For over forty years, generations of readers have thrilled to Herriot's marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye.
more
Twelve-year-old Sophie Brown feels like a fish out of water when she and her parents move from Los Angeles to the farm they've inherited from a great-uncle. But farm life gets more interesting when a cranky chicken appears and Sophie discovers the hen can move objects with the power of her little chicken brain: jam jars, the latch to her henhouse, the entire henhouse....
And then more of her great-uncle's unusual chickens... more
In We Are the Gardeners, Joanna and the kids chronicle the adventures of starting their own family garden. From their failed endeavors, obstacles to overcome (bunnies that eat everything!), and all the knowledge they've gained along the way, the Gaines family shares how they learned to grow a happy, successful garden. As it turns out, trying something new isn't always easy, but the hardest work often yields the greatest reward. There are always new lessons to be learned in the... more
This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!
Eva's class cannot wait for their field trip to the pumpkin farm! On the farm, they pick apples, milk cows, and even make new friends. But then an award-winning pumpkin goes missing! Eva and her friends will have to solve the mystery. Will they find the... more
After all, the farm population is dwindling. It takes too much capital to start. The pay is too low. The working conditions are dusty, smelly and noisy: not the place to raise a family. This is all true, and more, for most farmers.
But for farm entrepreneurs, the opportunities for a farm family business have never been greater. The aging farm... more
Makes a bed in a rose,
Because the bee knows
Day has come to a close.
Nighttime blankets a little farm. An owl who-hoots. A bear curls up in a log. A mother fox calls her pups home to the den. But animals aren't the only ones preparing to rest.
In the tradition of Margaret Wise Brown, with classically styled picture book illustrations and fresh, childlike imagery, this poetic bedtime book, as peaceful as it is warm, will wrap young ones in the comforts of routine. All is well, it reminds them. Now is the time for dreams. less
Salina Petersheim runs her own booth at the Amish market, where she’s known for having the freshest and most delicious produce in the area. Her father is the bishop of her church district, and her brother is a deacon. They are a very close family, yet sometimes she tires of being compared to her older brother, Neil, who is married and has two children. She also feels the pressure of having to be the perfect daughter for her parents.
Salina... more
Sheep is an expert at protecting sheep—or so she thinks until one happy afternoon when she bumps into a very hairy someone on the farm.
“Who are you?” she asks.
“I’m the sheep dog!” the someone says. “I watch the sheep.”
Holy begonia! Sheep knows this can’t be right. After all, she’s the pro! So Sheep goes off to get everything Sheep Dog needs to get the job done, but each time she goes, something almost happens to Sheep…
And... more
Don't have time to read the top Children's Farm books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
Newly republished in a hardcover edition with a 1950s cover, jacket and pictorial endpages. Interior illustrations by Edward Shenton. less
Why is Pig inside Chicken’s coop? How many animal friends can fit on top of a tractor?
Lift the flaps to find out in three easy-to-read stories that will take readers all over the farm! less
This is the fly that
buzzed on by
over the house
that Zack built . . .
Readers in the know may recognize Zack and his trusty dog, Rufus, from Alison Murray’s Hickory Dickory Dog. Now Zack is enjoying a day on the farm, building an amazing house with his blocks. But nearby, a wandering fly has attracted the attention of an inquisitive and determined feline. Stalking and chasing through stylish illustrations, the cat unintentionally creates... more
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The Market... more
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Oh, how her liked that old brown hat!
But then the wind came, and blew the hat away. And as fast as the farmer ran, the wind raced even faster. So the farmer went looking. Neither squirrel, nor Mouse, nor Duck, nor any of the other animals has seen the hat--though they had seen some pretty strange things. Would the farmer ever find his favorite hat? less
After many hilarious attempts, Turkey comes up with the perfect disguise to make this Thanksgiving the best ever!
Wendi Silvano’s comical story is perfectly matched by Lee Harper’s watercolors. less
Don't have time to read the top Children's Farm books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.