Escape from Baxters' Barn

by Rebecca Bond

When Burdock the barn cat sneaks into the Baxters’ farmhouse kitchen to hide behind a warm stove, he overhears a sinister plot that endangers all the animals on the farm. It’s up to him and his cacophonous cohorts to figure out how to bust out of the barn before it's too late. In this winning debut, readers will fall in love with the solitary cat, the self-effacing cow, the unstoppable pig, even a wayward she-owl—all brought to life with clever dialogue, poetic descriptions, and expressive black-and-white illustrations. This warm, lively read-aloud story about teamwork and friendship has the timeless appeal of a much-loved quilt.

Genres: Animals, Middle Grade, Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens, Friendship, Juvenile

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 7, 2015

Reviews

[Cadie Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

My students loved it. It was best put by one of my third graders who was mad at the rest of the class for clapping when it was over. "Why are you clapping and happy? It's over and there is no more story. That is sad."

[Brenda]

Reading Escape from Baxters' Barn reminded me of Charlotte's Web, it has that same sort of classic feel to it. There are lovely detailed descriptions of the farm "The house was a faded yellow affair with a pitched roof and a covered porch on two sides. The old windows sat loosely and slightly askew in their casings, and the house’s paint, especially on the west side, curled up in patches like birch bark." Coupled with the pen and ink illustrations by Bond of the animals, barn and surrounding farm, all coming together setting a lovely cozy picture of their life. A picture that as the tension rises when Dewey sets his plans in motion, begins to show just the dangers that the animals really face. This would make for a lovely read aloud where children could make predictions about what will happen next, review the sequences of events, or even have discussions about the difficulties the animals encounter as they try to escape the barn. Each animal brings a unique skill in helping them to escape, and again predictions could be made about just what that skill is. This is a lovely story of friends coming together, what it means to be a true friend, and a moral message of what "if saving yourself meant abandoning someone else." Burdock is such a delightful character, who struggles over whether he should walk away. Mostly because he's always "felt like he was a pair of boots that didn't fit anyone." My heart went out to this poor cat. Just heartwarming when he comes to find out the valuable contributions that he made. There is also a smaller message that highlights the dangers of leaving your pet outside (there is a small flash back to when Burdock looses an eye in a fight with a coyote). A really important message about not leaving your pets outside, there are so many dangers out there people. Just a lovely touching story that ends happily, as it should. My favorite illustrations were of Burdock nestled on a quilt, and Noctua the barn owl flying off into the distance.

[Charlie Headley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute story that I highly recommend. Best book I've read this year so far.

[Jenn M · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Baxters' Barn is a sweet story about a group of farm animals, faced with a challenge of survival, that bond together like family members to the benefit of all. I loved the way that author Rebecca Bond created each animal with its unique personality--the kid (baby) goat was frisky and energetic; the sheep was shy and bashful and a little insecure; and the tom cat Burdock, usually the stand-offish, independent loner, is the one who brings them all together. Funny, how adversity often brings out the best in people, or at least their true character. While some reviewers mention that the style and the main theme of the story reminds them of Charlotte's Web, I did not make that comparison myself. Maybe, it's been too long since I read Charlotte's Web--or maybe I just do less comparisons / contrasts and enjoy the book on its own merit. The story held my interest, the main characters, albeit animals, had individual personalities, and there was problem, complication, resolution that contained the drama and tension of the plot. The black and white line drawings do add to the story's attraction.

Well done, Ms. Bond. Overall, interesting, attention-getting, inspiring fiction with implied moral implications without preaching or judging. Recommended for middle grade children to 99+ years old.

[Robert Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real gem of a debut story. Although comparisons to Charlotte's Web are obvious in characters and location, I don't think there is quite the same charm. Wherein Charlotte's Web, the barn animals all band together to plot the salvation of Wilbur the pig, here, the barn animals team together to devise their own salvation from certain destruction. The standout character is the one-eyed barn cat Burdock, whose revelation of the impending disaster is the catalyst for the animals teaming together to save themselves. The authors illustrations are splendid and give the characters real personality, especially said cat, Burdock. Much recommended!

Note to author & editor concerning error: pp. 150 "He tucked behind a barrel and only his eyes shifted..." Burdock the cat has only one eye, so 'eyes' should be singular."

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hesitated between rating this as "I liked it" or "I really liked it." It's a sweet story, but also has a very mature plot line for the age of child it would appeal to, given the book's format and illustrations.

A menagerie of nine animals - a cat, a pig, a sheep, two horses, a cow, an owl, and two goats, live in a ramshackle barn on a run-down New England farm. Burdock, the cat, somewhat of an outsider, overhears the two brothers who own the farm arguing about its fate. Money has run out,and one of the brothers has proposed burning down the barn to collect the insurance money. When Burdock reports this news to the others, they fear that Dewey will burn the barn with them in it. They begin to plan an escape.

There's only one brief scene toward the end that hints that Dewey wouldn't have killed his animals, but it goes by quickly, and I think children would be anxiety-ridden that an adult who should be watching over them would perhaps kill them.

It has a wonderful ending, however. All's well that ends well. It might be a good classroom read-aloud with just enough suspense to keep kids hooked, but presented by a trustworthy adult who could reassure anyone who was fearful.

[Kim McGee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations and camaraderie between the animals will bring "Charlotte's Web" to mind but the story is fresh. Burdock is a one-eyed barn cat who keeps to himself but can't help but alarm the others when he overhears a disturbing argument between the brothers who run the farm. The animals must band together and find a way out of the barn before Dewey does something drastic. A huge storm, gasoline cans and being locked in is a recipe for disaster so Burdock and his family of mixed barnyard animals must band together to get out. This family of animals must put their trust in each other to escape disaster and in doing so, find that they are all a bit tougher and smarter than they thought.

[Melissapalmer404 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #61 Read in 2015
Escape from Baxter's Barn by Rebecca Bond

This book reminded me of Charlotte's Web, in the fact that all of the animals are working together for a good cause. In this book, the barn animals realize that their owner has plans to burn down their barn to get insurance money. They hope that he would let them out first but they can't be sure so they create an action plan to get all of them out safely. Each animal has a distinct personality and a purpose to help the greater good. This is well written and includes decent black and white drawings. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I was very underwhelmed by this one, unfortunately. It has been compared to Charlotte's Web, which is understandable because of the content (farm animals must escape impending doom). However, the plot was kind of flat, and it just felt like kind of a let-down at the end. It's a just-okay read for older elementary kiddos. The illustrations (and my eternally optimistic nature!) encouraged me to keep reading through to the bitter end. Then I had to brush my teeth. Bleck.

[Andrex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This heartfelt story should be in every family's library. Meet Pull and Tug, Nanny and Tick, Mrs. Brown, Figgy, Fluff, Noctua and Burdock. When Burdock overhears a dastardly plan he shares it with the other animals in the barn. It appears that Dewey, their human owner who is in financial straits, is making plans to burn the barn down in order to claim the insurance money!

This story depicts incredible resilience and teamwork as the animals gradually put together a plan of how they are going to escape and where they are going to go. Will it all go to plan? How much time i.e. days do they have left?

I can't emphasize enough how good this story is. I read it aloud to our kids and they absolutely loved it. As an adult I really enjoyed it also. Not only is the story excellent so are the black and white illustrations scattered throughout the book. Don't hesitate to get this one. The ending will make you smile also. We borrowed it from our local library. I was not required to write a review but chose to do so. Thanks, Liz

[Bev Kinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for a contemporary book similar to "Charlotte's Web" and discovered this sweet story. The book is written and illustrated by the same lady, Rebecca Bond, whom I sadly discovered passed away in 2017. The illustrations are adorable sketches reminiscent of Garth Williams ("Charlotte"s Web and "Stuart Little") which gives the story a timeless, classic feel.

Bond writes the story on a level which calls young readers up to a higher level of vocabulary and understanding. Though, the writing is not on the level of E.B. White's, I appreciated the contemporary effort to get beyond "Captain Underpants" or "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", thus I upped the stars from three to four.

I absolutely loved the sub-plot of Burdock the one-eyed barn cat who finally understands what it means to be a part of a family.

[LadyCalico · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be not a great book, but a good book with a lot of great aspects. I loved the well-drawn characters, I know that's a weird thing to say about farm animals, and the story is really engrossing. Granted, it was based on a rather scary situation, but compared to tales from Hans Christian Anderson or the brothers Grimm, it was pretty tame. There were just sometimes that the story didn't seem to mesh and flow smoothly; it seemed to need a bit more polish. However, the real charm of this book is its illustrations, they are magnificent and so full of the life and emotions of the characters.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fact: Retired dairy cows DO NOT NEED TO BE MILKED.

A cow will not produce milk unless it has a baby to feed. I'm so sick of this common misconception continually perpetuated in children's stories like this. I used to think the same because this is how shows, movies, and books all portray dairy farming. It's grossly incorrect. Stop it.

This just felt like a boring retelling of Charlotte's Web. I can guarantee you this will be the nominee that my students' will check out because of the pretty cover, but will turn in a week later, unread.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was amazing! I loved every bit of it -- the hodgepodge little animal family made up of a cow, an owl, two draft horses, a pig, two goats, and of course Burdock the cat, without whose craving for warm hidey-holes the story could not have begun, and who provided his own edge of moral dilemma. The life-threatening danger. The plan. The escape. The perfect storybook ending that wasn't too chokingly sweet. And the soft pencil drawings, so reminiscent of Garth Williams... I am utterly, entirely satisfied by this perfect little book.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a grim little story, with such a mild and friendly cover that it's going to lure in some unsuspecting readers. Baxter the cat lives in a warm old barn with a cast of other friends including a goat, a pig, and two patient plow horses. The animals are spurred to escape when they discover... (wait for it...) their owner is planning to MURDER THEM BY FIRE in order to obtain the insurance money for the barn. WHAT?! Not what I was expecting at all, and not that great. Although I loved the illustrations, I have to add.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read. Charlie was so hooked we flew through this one reading multiple chapters at a time. I picked it up because something on the back said it was good for fans of gentle animal stories like Charlotte's Web and this had that same sort of feel. We loved the characters and the plot wasn't too scary or suspenseful for Charlie. This one was so good, I would actually like to own a copy.

[Beth Melillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful prose descriptions and lovely illustrations. Great read a loud for my 5 year old. There was a lot of repetition of characterization, themes, and mental musing. About 3/4 way through he wanted the climax to happen already!! Satisfying ending and good message of teamwork, even in the midst of fear and self-doubt.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 10 year old recommended this one and he was right! What a sweet story, which manages to build real tension while exploring themes of friendship, individual strengths working as teamwork, and sacrifice - and using a robust vocabulary. It would be a good read aloud for younger kids, as long as they’re not particularly sensitive to the risk of the animals’ death.

[Celia Berrier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book for my daughter who has become a bit of a reluctant reader. She finished it within a couple of days and liked it so much that she asked if we could read it again together. I’m so glad I got to share this sweet story and it’s characters with her. Yes, it did remind us of Charlotte’s Web, but in all the best ways.

[JBReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant! I loved it and my kids asked for more when it was finished. This may be provocative, but this book is better, I repeat BETTER, than Charlotte’s Web. There, I committed literary sacrilege and I don’t even care because it’s true. Friendship, loyalty, problem solving, a villain, and a happy ending, what’s not to love??

[Emma Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t expect a children’s book to be so suspenseful. But it was well done and lovable and I was sad when it ended. I want to hear more about the characters. Does Dewey ever find happiness and learn to love and be loved? What shenanigans do the animals get up to in the future? If you want to lose your heart in a matter of hours, pick this one up.

[Stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked this! It was a cute little story. It hasn’t been checked out at the library I work at for three years 😕. I’m definitely going to try to save it by telling some kids about it. 👌
Also agree with other reviews I’ve seen - does have some Charlotte’s Web vibes.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was kind of a meh book for my son and me. The story wasn't bad, but was repetitive and the writing was in dire need of tightening by an editor. Also, the 'facts' in the story were a bit inaccurate and didn't quite add up. The illustrations were charming, though.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reminded me of the stories I read when I was young. There was one aspect of the storyline that was troubling and may upset some readers. But in her thank yous at the end, the author thanks young readers who read the draft so it would appear that they are fine with the story.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet story about a group of clever barn animals.

[Dest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read-alike for Charlotte's Web.

[Katek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! Couldnt get out of it!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the story but as it when on, found it rather repetitive. My kids, however, loved it and wanted to purchase it for our home library. The ending was sweet and the illustrations were charming.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful story and illustrations. Good themes of loyalty and friendship. And the perfect amount of suspense.

[Denise Chojnacki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an online read aloud that I did for families Facebook Live. It was such a fun story with great themes of friendship, working together and perseverance. Highly recommended!