LITTLE BLUE TRACTOR

by Nicola Baxter

The Little Tractor looked out from the barn. On the farm everything was white and whirling. The snow didn't stop falling, and little Tractor decided he must bring the animals into the barn.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1995

About the author

Nicola Baxter has written or compiled over a hundred children's titles. She has developed ideas for a wide variety of international publishers and lives in Norfolk, England, surrounded by cats and computers.

Reviews

[Savannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Farmer Fred tells Little Blue Tractor that it’s going to snow so he must go tell all the animals to come into the barn. Tractor wonders how Farmer Fred knows it’s going to snow but dutifully trundles off. The animals refuse to come into the barn, despite Little Blue Tractor appealing ever more forcefully to authority - ‘farmer Fred thinks/ knows/ is as certain as can be! that it’s going to snow’. Little Blue Tractor reports back to Farmer Fred who says ‘those uppity animals’ can stay where they are then and Tractor can come into the barn. It starts to snow. Little blue tractor decides to go fetch ‘those uppity animals’ and is showered in thanks.
So what’s the moral here?
Listen To Authority
Even if the instructions make no sense to you and there’s no explanation given for them?
Yes. Your unquestioning obedience will be rewarded.
What if you’d prefer to do something else, like continue eating these tasty turnip-tops, for example?
Then you’ll get your comeuppance because I know better than you.

Particularly sinister is how Farmer’s lackey Little Blue Tractor parrots him calling the animals ‘uppity’. Is this meant to be a clue that we should be reading this story critically? You cannot convince me that those chickens are as silly as they are presented as being and this isn’t just pro-parent / pro-government/ pro-church/ anti-anyone-not-in-a-position-of-power propaganda.

S loves this book because it has a tractor and lots of animals in it so I just make up the story. The writing is bad anyway.

Also - this is in our top 3 most re-visited books and S’ sympathy for the fact the horse can’t fit in the trailer and has to follow on behind is yet to decrease in pitch. My adaptations now lean into this tragedy, which is glossed over in the original text.

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Assessing the weather, Farmer Fred decides that it is going to snow and so he decides that the animals should be taken into the barn. So he sends Little Blue Tractor around the farm to gather up the animals and take them all to the barn.

It sound a simple operation but because it is not snowing every species of animal approached gives a reason why they do not need to go to the barn and be squashed in. So Little blue Tractor carries on his rounds at the end of which he has gathered in no animals at all.

But as he makes his way back it does begin to snow so Tractor thinks 'It's snowing and blowing all right. Oh bother! I can't stay here. I'm going to have to bring those uppity animals into the farm.'

So off he goes and because of the change in the weather, all the animals are amenable and accompany Tractor back to the barn without a murmur. Once there, with a moo, a cluck and a quack , and a baa and a neigh, all those once uppity animals said, 'Little Blue Tractor, thank you very much.'

[Franci · Rating 4 out of 5]

#94 of 2021

Voorgelees vir 2-3 jariges.

[Kiriharan Thurairajah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book !

[Michael Graeme · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's going to blow, it's going to snow, or I'm turnip! My children are in their teens now but I still quote this line at them and they still laugh in fond recognition. The Ladybird series of stories were of great nostalgic significance to UK parents, being available since time immemorial from the now recently demised and much missed Woolworths stores. Reading to one's children was sometimes a chore, sometimes a delight, depending on the story they chose. I know I always breathed a great sigh of relief when they chose this one. Hurrah for the little blue tractor!