4 out of 4 stars
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One fateful day, six kittens walk into Farmer Beau's farm. Seeing them, Farmer Beau and his wife, Bamma, gave them food and watched them play. One after the other, they left. Only one decided to stay and make the farm her home. Farmer Beau and Bamma prepared a comfortable room for her and named her Kailey. One day, Kailey comes across a cute little bunny named Sammy in the farm. The two become fast friends. Just like Kailey, Sammy was given a home in the farm. They were happy. However, when they overheard Farmer Beau and Bamma talking about taking in another animal - one that would be "unusual on the farm" - they start to get worried. What if they love Malissa, this new mystery animal, more than them? What if they get made fun of for having some weird animal around the farm?
The messages in Farmer Beau's Farm by Kathleen Geiger are simple, yet important. The main theme is acceptance. Sammy and Kailey are like your typical children expecting the arrival of a new sibling. Their concerns about the new mystery animal is reminiscent of adopting a new child or getting a new baby brother or sister. Nonetheless, once Malissa arrives, the kitten and bunny handle it in a relatable way. Bullying and love are other themes explored by Kathleen Geiger in this book. I love the way the author tackled the issue of bullying. It was shown for what it is, a nasty act that leaves its victims hurt. She also showed that love is better than hate.
The illustrations in Farmer Beau's Farm are bright and colorful. There is balance between cartoonish and realistic characteristics in each image making the illustrations appealing and interesting for various age groups. Each picture contains a good amount of details to keep readers entertained and curious. Even children who can't read can grasp the general idea of the book from the pictures. The book's text is separate from the illustrations, so there's nothing to take away from how cute they are.
The language used throughout this story is simplistic, and the narrative is structured in short, manageable sentences. The book has more text than most children's book. The font in the kindle version I downloaded was larger and thicker, making reading a whole lot easier. As early readers develop their skills, this is a book they could read on their own with little help from adults.
Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It was a short and interesting book. I found no grammatical error. I would recommend this book to children between 2-6 years. However, the lessons in this book are universal so everyone should read it. It would take you less than ten minutes to finish it.
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Farmer Beau's Farm
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