The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales

The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales

By Heather Amery

Illustrated by Stephen Cartwright

Review by Tonya Dirksen

There are many fun and entertaining adventures on Apple Tree Farm in The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales. This delightful book is a combined volume of all 20 engaging Farmyard Tales stories. It also comes with a read-along CD that features a gentleman with a wonderful British accent reading each of the stories.

Each story takes place at Apple Tree Farm and includes the same cast of characters: Mrs. Boot; her two children, Poppy and Sam; their dog, Rusty; as well as various lovable farm animals. The other farm animals include Curly the Pig, Woolly the Naughty Sheep, Ears the Donkey, and Whiskers the Cat. Tractors get stuck, fire trucks are called to put out a fire behind the barn and two dogs take a train ride on their own. Children love getting to know the characters and following their adventures. Not to mention looking for the little yellow duck hiding on each page!

This book also has a detailed map of the area that makes it fun to find all the spots in which the stories take place.

Another special feature of this book is that it is a dual-reader book. The top line is first grade reading level. Just reading the top line tells the complete story. The bottom lines are second/third grade reading levels and add more details to the story. Therefore there are several ways this book can be read. You could just read the top line to a toddler with a short attention span. As your child gets older you could read aloud both the top and bottom lines. As your child began to read on her own she could read the top line while a more advanced reader read the bottom line. Eventually, your child could read both lines on her own. Of course it is always fun to read together during a special family reading time.

My little girls love reading the Farmyard Tales stories and getting to know all of the friendly characters. I know this book will continue to be a favorite as they learn to read and learn to love reading!

You can order this book on my website at http://www.tonyasbooks.com/ or give me a call at (916) 812-2875.