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Julia Rothman grew up on City Island in the Bronx in NYC. Her husband grew up on a farm in Tabor, Iowa. Busy, bustling city life. Quiet, rural farm. Julia writes from her experiences at her in-law’s farm and all that she has learned there. Her book is not all-encompassing on farming, but it covers a lot about farming that you and your kids will find interesting.
There are seven chapters on:
- Layers of soil, crop rotation, predicting weather from clouds, composting, and what an acre is…
- The different joints in timber construction, trusses, barn doors, chicken coops, fences, gates…
- Tractors through the years, how to plow a field, what a hay baler, elevator, and fork are, farm tools…
- Different vegetables and herbs, what their purpose is, when they can be planted/harvested, how to can tomatoes, what bugs to keep out of your garden…
- Parts of a rooster, egg and meat breeds, parts of a cow, pig, sheep, hors, rabbit, etc., British and Continental beef, how to milk a cow and tie a knot (just not at the same time)…
- What’s in a country kitchen, a few edible flowers, how to make bread, how to make cheese and cut up a chicken, the prime cuts of beef, pork, and lamb…
- How to spin yarn and find natural dye, how to make a corn husk doll, a rag rug, and candles, and much more.
That is a basic-but-incomplete table of contents. There is just so much here.
There is not much information given to each object, animal, or cut, but there are plenty enough pictures and enough information that kids will be delighted. I’m no illustrating expert, but the illustrations are really cool. They’re cute, kids will love them, and we do too.
There is a good bit of cursive in the book, so employ an older sibling to help the younger ones read through it. They will have fun reading the book together.
Recommended?
I never grew up on a farm. I have always lacked the desire, and thankfully my parents share that lack with me. However, as a kid I had a Disney book that illustrated how a house was made. What went on behind the walls of your house? What happened beneath your city’s streets? How did a car work? Rothman’s book gives many more kinds of examples, and is simply what I would have wanted as a kid, and what I want now. Mari and I love these books, and we can’t wait for Micah to get older so we can read it with him and help him understand a big part of a farmer’s life.
Julia has written two other books in this collection: Nature Anatomy and Food Anatomy.
Lagniappe
- Series: Julia Rothman
- Author/Illustrator: Julia Rothman
- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: Storey Publishing (October 1, 2011)
Buy it on Amazon or from Storey Publishing!
Disclosure: I received this book free from Storey Publishing. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
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