Review by Christina O Phillips -- Farmer Beau's Farm

[Christina O Phillips]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Farmer Beau's Farm" by Kathleen Geiger.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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When I think of farms, I think of crops, animals, and all hard work without any fun . Farmer Beau’s Farm is a children's book written by Kathleen Geiger and illustrated by Adam Musk, and the farm depicted in this book is unlike any farm I have ever pictured.

One day Farmer Beau is busy working and finds six kittens. Beau and his wife, Bamma, take care of them, but when they grow up, five cats leave the farm. The one who stays is named Kailey and the couple make a home for her in their barn. The story continues as Kailey makes new friends and things at the farm begin to change.

I have to say that I do not have children, and while I read children’s books at times, it is as a teacher and not a parent. That said, I think this book would work in both areas. The text was simple, yet it used words that may be new to beginning readers (romp, interfere), depending on their reading level. There was more text than I’d expect there to be in a children’s book with some long paragraphs, but it was not overwhelming. The illustrations were great: they matched the text and were simple, yet colorful and cute.

Besides the adorable pictures and enjoyable storyline, there are lessons to be learned while reading about the animals on the farm. Kailey the cat is helpful to a stranger whom she befriends, there is change that she and her friend have to learn to cope with, and they learn how to welcome that change and new people. This is more than just a simple, fun story.

There were two problems that I had with this book: one was with my copy, the other was with the style. I read this book on my Kindle Paperwhite and so while the pictures were pretty, they were colorless and the font came out as a faded gray. However, I also looked on my computer at this book and then I could see the colors of both the illustrations and the font. The other problem was with the shifting point of view: we begin the story from the farmer’s eyes, then go to Kailey’s, then back to the farmer’s, and then back to Kailey. This was not a major issue, but it was enough that I wondered if it could have been done differently. I think staying with Kailey’s viewpoint would have been best since the book was ultimately her story despite what the title suggests.

I rate this book a 3 out of 4 stars. It’s deceptively simple, has cute characters, and can teach readers life lessons. The end brings this bit of the story of the farm to a close, but Kailey says that this is no ordinary farm, which leaves the reader wanting to know more about the farm and leaves room for a sequel. I would definitely use this in my classroom.

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Farmer Beau's Farm
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Like Christina O Phillips's review? Post a comment saying so!

[H0LD0Nthere]

Thanks for this review. I agree, it is frustrating to read on a Kindle books that depend on illustrations or other graphics.

I wonder why there is a giraffe on the cover? Does the farm feature a giraffe?

[Manang Muyang]

It is nice to get both a parent's and a teacher's view on a children's book. I am neither a parent nor a teacher but I am a fan of children's books. They are easy and fun to read and always teach wonderful lessons.

[Jaime Lync]

Wow. Really insightful review. Thanks for your thoughts on the book. I read this on my kindle app on my fire phone and the colour was therem sorry your kindle copy was colourless