Review by Nerea -- The Barnyard Buddies Meet a Newcomer

[Nerea]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Barnyard Buddies Meet a Newcomer" by Julie Penshorn.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Have you ever felt insecure when a stranger came at your doorstep seeking refuge? Or what would you do if you are left alone in the cold by your family?

Blue is a dog abandoned by his human family due to some unavoidable circumstances. He wonders around in search of refuge. And just like manna dropped from heaven, Blue sees a small farmhouse and a barn. What does he do? He sneaks through the fence to find his way into the farmhouse. Finally, he is in the farmhouse compound and sees food. His next step is to go towards the food and help himself. Unfortunately, one member of the Barnyard buddies shows up and tries to stop blue from eating the food. In the middle of the confrontation, other members of the Barnyard Buddies gathered at the scene. What happens next?

Narrated from the author’s point of view, The Barnyard Buddies Meet a Newcomer by Julie Penshorn will appeal to children between age 6 and 12 years. They will learn about decision-making, showing empathy and being hospitable to anyone seeking refuge. The tone of the writing is friendly and warm. The dialogue between the characters makes the story sound lively and appealing.

Sometimes the newcomer seeking refuge from you can be helpful like how Blue turned out to be helpful to the Barnyard buddies and Jim. Jim (human) is the owner of the farmhouse. He is not sure if he can accommodate Blue. Notice what he decides to do. The Barnyard Buddies are animals cared for by Jim. They seem empathetic and cautious too. The way they treat Blue is noteworthy.

The author used simple short sentences to narrate the story. I find this feature noteworthy for the fact that it will enable children to read the story without tiring out. Additionally, the use of color codes to contrast the conversation between the characters is remarkable. The colorful illustrations will appeal to children.

I like that the text font style and size are visible and attractive too. There are sections where there is a change of text color from black to white, especially in pages where the background color is not bright. Remarkably, an exercise has been provided for parents to help their children to practice what they have learned. Noteworthy, definitions of hard words and terms used in the story are available at the end of the book.

I award the book a 4 out of 4 stars for the fact that the author is using her writing skills to teach children valuable moral lessons. Additionally, I didn’t detect any grammatical error. Ultimately, there’s nothing to dislike. Though, I recommend that the author help future readers to identify the reason why Blue’s human family abandoned him.

******
The Barnyard Buddies Meet a Newcomer
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Rayasaurus]

This sounds like a very cute book for children! I'd love to read it to my nieces.

[unamilagra]

This sounds like a fun story for kids. I like the idea of color-coding the dialogue. Great review!

[Nerea]

This sounds like a very cute book for children! I'd love to read it to my nieces.

Yeah. I'm sure they'll enjoy reading the book. Thanks.

[Nerea]

This sounds like a fun story for kids. I like the idea of color-coding the dialogue. Great review!

True. Color-coding makes it easy for the reader to follow through the conversation with ease. Thanks for coming through.