4 out of 4 stars
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The Barnyard Buddies Meet a Newcomer by Julie Penshorn is a charming story featuring a small group of anthropomorphized farm animals and their farmer, Jim. Blue, a dog who was abandoned by his family when their water turned bad, wanders on to the farm, leading the other animals to decide what to do with him. While using simple words, the author demonstrates conflict resolution, negotiation, and reaching consensus through the decision-making process of the farm animals.
Some of the animals are in immediate support of feeding and housing Blue, such as Portland the pig who volunteers to share his dinner, while others are more reserved with their trust out of fear of personal safety, such as Grey Donkey and Ol’ Dot the horse. To reach consensus, the animals created a plan to help Grey Donkey and Ol’ Dot feel safe while Blue was staying with them.
Although the words and story itself are simple, the discussions this book could facilitate would have a much deeper meaning. This lesson about compromising to reach a consensus is important for children to learn, as it will help them almost daily for the rest of their lives. The overall message of the book, helping those in need even if they are strangers from somewhere else, helps teach children about compassion and treating others with respect.
In addition to the story itself, the author also includes discussion prompts and activities for adults to do with the children to help them learn more from the book. This section had some thought-provoking questions that I think many adults could benefit from reading, even though the book is written for young children.
The only error I noticed was an incorrect number reference in the discussion section, but this can be fixed very easily. The relatable and charismatic characters, the message in the storyline, and the cute artwork all lead me to award this book a 4 out of 4-star rating. I hope this book becomes commonplace in homes and schools alike.
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The Barnyard Buddies Meet a Newcomer
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