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Farm Animals
Adult and child readers will learn all about adorable farm animals together in this new Co-reader from National Geographic Kids.
48 pages, Paperback
Published January 24, 2017
8 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Joanne Mattern
991 books26 followersMattern is the author of many books for children. Her favorite topics include animals, biography, and history. She lives in the Hudson Valley of New York State.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 11, 2017
This is an interesting style of easy reader. On each two page spread, there is a page for the adult or older child to read and a page for the child learning to read. My daughter really liked it as she likes 'taking turns' when we read a book. In other words, she likes when I read part of it so she doesn't have to read it all.
The adult portion is read first and you can take the opportunity to point out the words while you read that will appear in the portion that your beginning reader will read next. For instance, the word COMBINE appears first in the adult section in bold and then again in the beginning reader section.
It's a nice way of handling it. It let's you read some more complex words in nonfiction but still gives them the opportunity to practice their reading and pick up more words. I thought this particular book was fairly boring, but, only because we've read all kinds of books on farming already. I'm curious to try others in this series.
The adult portion is read first and you can take the opportunity to point out the words while you read that will appear in the portion that your beginning reader will read next. For instance, the word COMBINE appears first in the adult section in bold and then again in the beginning reader section.
It's a nice way of handling it. It let's you read some more complex words in nonfiction but still gives them the opportunity to practice their reading and pick up more words. I thought this particular book was fairly boring, but, only because we've read all kinds of books on farming already. I'm curious to try others in this series.
September 1, 2025
Inaccurate capitalistic book about unsustainable industrial farming that lacks proper animal welfare.
From the very beginning, the tone is strikingly cold and product-driven. The opening line frames a farm simply as “a place for producing products.” That might sound straightforward, but it reduces farming to a purely capitalistic endeavor, stripping away the deeper relationship between humans, land, and animals. For a children’s book, that’s a troubling foundation.
The presentation of animals also feels impersonal and, at times, misleading. Chickens are described as “cage free,” but there’s no mention of what that actually means (and it certainly doesn’t equal pasture-raised or humane conditions). Both cows and chickens are depicted eating grain rather than grazing naturally on grass—again reinforcing an industrialized picture of farming rather than a sustainable or accurate one. The animals themselves come across as commodities rather than living beings with needs and instincts.
On the crop side, the book promotes outdated, unsustainable methods like plowing and monocropping without addressing the environmental consequences. Worse, some of the information is simply incorrect. For example, the text suggests pumpkins “grow in the fall,” when in reality, they are planted earlier in the season and harvested in the fall. Mistakes like this are confusing for children and undermine the book’s credibility.
Overall, Farm Animals misses an opportunity to teach children about the beauty, complexity, and responsibility of farming. Instead, it presents a narrow, money-focused, and at times inaccurate view. Families looking for a more holistic and truthful introduction to farm life may want to explore other titles that highlight sustainability, animal welfare, and the rhythms of nature rather than the bottom line.
From the very beginning, the tone is strikingly cold and product-driven. The opening line frames a farm simply as “a place for producing products.” That might sound straightforward, but it reduces farming to a purely capitalistic endeavor, stripping away the deeper relationship between humans, land, and animals. For a children’s book, that’s a troubling foundation.
The presentation of animals also feels impersonal and, at times, misleading. Chickens are described as “cage free,” but there’s no mention of what that actually means (and it certainly doesn’t equal pasture-raised or humane conditions). Both cows and chickens are depicted eating grain rather than grazing naturally on grass—again reinforcing an industrialized picture of farming rather than a sustainable or accurate one. The animals themselves come across as commodities rather than living beings with needs and instincts.
On the crop side, the book promotes outdated, unsustainable methods like plowing and monocropping without addressing the environmental consequences. Worse, some of the information is simply incorrect. For example, the text suggests pumpkins “grow in the fall,” when in reality, they are planted earlier in the season and harvested in the fall. Mistakes like this are confusing for children and undermine the book’s credibility.
Overall, Farm Animals misses an opportunity to teach children about the beauty, complexity, and responsibility of farming. Instead, it presents a narrow, money-focused, and at times inaccurate view. Families looking for a more holistic and truthful introduction to farm life may want to explore other titles that highlight sustainability, animal welfare, and the rhythms of nature rather than the bottom line.
August 23, 2017
Find out what life is like on a family farm and meet the kinds of plants and animals you might find there.
This is designed for a more advanced reader to read with a beginning reader. The left pages have harder and more extensive text, the right pages have shorter passages and much easier vocabulary. This book provides a good intro to a wide variety of family farms and would make a great read before a visit to a farm.
This is designed for a more advanced reader to read with a beginning reader. The left pages have harder and more extensive text, the right pages have shorter passages and much easier vocabulary. This book provides a good intro to a wide variety of family farms and would make a great read before a visit to a farm.
Read
May 6, 2020This is a non fiction book about the various kinds of farm animals. This story gives information to a younger audience on what types of farm animals there are.
Want to read
October 16, 2025A
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews