Review by melissy370 -- Farmer Beau's Farm

melissy370 · Post by **melissy370** » 04 Mar 2018, 15:15

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

4 out of 4 stars

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Kathleen Geiger and her husband Frank were sitting out on their porch one day when they noticed kittens coming out of their garage. This scene coupled with the wish to teach a lesson on getting along with others prompted Geiger to create the book Farmer Beau’s Farm. Her granddaughters even had a hand in forming the characters by choosing what animals they were and their hue. This biography of the author attracted me to the book. Since Geiger is a retired teacher, my expectations of her creating a book on diversity and making it kid friendly were high. She did not disappoint.

The narrative starts off with introducing Farmer Beau and his wife Bamma. They see five kittens playing around near their garage. The couple take care of them but four of them leave to prowl around the countryside. The last one, a purple kitten, Beau and Bamma keep and give her the name Kailey. Soon they set up a small house next to the barn that became Kailey's home. Later in the summer, Kailey meets a blue bunny named Sammy who is searching for a place to live. When Beau and Bamma see the two animals in the garage they at once find a bed for the homeless rabbit. Life is perfect for these two animals on the homestead until they overhear Farmer Beau and Bamma talking about picking up a “unusual” animal named Malissa. The two furry friends ponder on what creature this could be. Would Beau and Bamma ignore them now? What if they prefer this animal over them? How will their lives change? The community might make fun of Farmer Beau and Bamma for taking it. At one point Kailey and Sammy even speculate on the couple’s sanity. Malissa soon arrives and the two companions are even further perplexed on why she was there. To them she was an odd looking beast. Eventually, Kailey and Sammy receive an education on how not to judge others.

Bullying is an epidemic in our society today and the author hits a home run in showing how complex this issue is in how both sides suffer. Kailey and Sammy show fear and negativity towards an outsider coming. They hurt because they are missing out on knowing someone who is unique. Malissa expresses her hurt through crying because she is being taunted. This story resonated with me because I know people who express the same apprehensions that Kailey and Sammy do. On the flip side, I can relate to Malissa’s pain of being made fun of because I have felt it myself. Our inclination is to be with others like us. More of a challenge is to realize that diversity is a valuable thing. No matter what our differences are we have commonalities. Looking past the differences and accepting each other can create a special environment. The writer depicts this in a charming word picture at the end with the three animals sleeping together to keep each other company. A wonderful friendship begins and “Farmer Beau’s farm was magical!”

Love is the backdrop of this story. If you're wondering how you can accept someone, seek no further than unconditional love. Kailey and Sammy do show love at the conclusion. But for me, Farmer Beau and Bamma exemplified this the best. They're never put out, annoyed, or grumble when another animal shows up at their door needing a home. In fact, they welcome them with warmth. Oh, how I wish I could be more like this! To be honest, I get bent out of shape easily when someone interrupts my plans. The incredible news is that we can learn how to live like this and Farmer Beau's Farm shows what it would look it if we succeeded.

I enjoyed this story and want to share it with my nieces and nephew. Along with the narrative are cute illustrations depicting the scenes. My rating for Farmer Beau’s Farm is 4 out of 4 stars. This book fits children of the elementary age. Even though classified as a children's book, all ages could learn from it. Misspelling occurred once with the farmer's name as Bo instead of Beau. Other than this mishap, the editing was superb.

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Farmer Beau's Farm
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Jordan David · Post by **Chelsy Scherba** » 06 Mar 2018, 17:35

This sounds like such a cute, creative way to teach kids valuable lessons. I love that the author let her kids help with some of the characters and used a true story to inspire it. Such a great review!

Jaime Lync · Post by **Jaime Lync** » 08 Mar 2018, 15:31

Very passionate review for a children's book -love it! Thanks for sharing. I also read and reviewed this a while ago and it is indeed a good book.

Ashiyya Tariq · Post by **Ashiyya Tariq** » 13 Mar 2018, 01:08

This is a beautiful story for children with a moral lesson. You are right, bullying has become common problem in a society. Thanks for your insightful review.