McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm: Three Tall Tales

Adventures of McBroom

by Sid Fleischman, Quentin Blake (Illustrator), Marylin Hafner (Illustrator)

When Josh McBroom learns that the eighty acres of Iowa farmland he's purchased are all stacked up on top of each other at the bottom of a muddy little pond, he thinks he's been bamboozled. But McBroom knows he's got the better of the bargain when the pond dries up to reveal an acre of soil so rich that seeds spring up into full-grown plants in no time and even nickels grow into quarters.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Humor, Middle Grade, Picture Books, Fantasy

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

As a children's book author Sid Fleischman felt a special obligation to his readers. "The books we enjoy as children stay with us forever -- they have a special impact. Paragraph after paragraph and page after page, the author must deliver his or her best work." With almost 60 books to his credit, some of which have been made into motion pictures, Sid Fleischman can be assured that his work will make a special impact.

Sid Fleischman wrote his books at a huge table cluttered with projects: story ideas, library books, research, letters, notes, pens, pencils, and a computer. He lived in an old-fashioned, two-story house full of creaks and character, and enjoys hearing the sound of the nearby Pacific Ocean.

Fleischman passed away after a battle with cancer on March 17, 2010, the day after his ninetieth birthday.

He was the father of Newbery Medal winning writer and poet Paul Fleischman, author of Joyful Noise; they are the only father and son to receive Newbery awards.

Reviews

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally I don't log or review read alouds we read as a family, but this was a hit! We were laughing, shaking our heads and shouting! My 8 year old said it's her favorite summer read aloud. Illustrated by Quentin Blake (think Roald Dahl), it added nostalgia for me. Highly recommend.

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun choice for a 4th-grader who hasn't read many chapter books on his own yet. The book is only three chapters that are fairly long but weren't too long for my kid since he enjoyed reading it. These are tall tales that remind me of Paul Bunyan -- in fact, I once had an old Paul Bunyan book about soil that was so rich that anything planted in it grew in seconds, which is basically what happens here. McBroom and his wife and eleven children buy a farm from a swindler who shows up several times in the first story to disrupt them, but they get the better of him. They also battle mighty weeds, voracious grasshoppers, and winds strong enough to blow people away.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha, ha, ha, ha. This guy has quite the imagination.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This read-aloud was so very very silly and charming! Also clever and legit laugh-out-loud funny. It has three chapters that are really three standalone stories about the farm. The second one with the wind was our favorite, my boys (6yrs and 4yrs) were literally howling with laughter. This book was very clever and cheeky, and a lot of the humor went right over the heads of my boys, so I look forward to reading this in a couple years and seeing how much more funny they find it as they understand more :)

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was witty and fun to read. 12 yo daughter thought it was too young for her.

Update: I read it to my now 6 yo son and he loved it. We've already ordered another McBroom story to read together.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a silly book that my 5 year olds enjoyed. I think some of the silliness went over their head and will plan on re-reading it when they are a bit older.

[Shinae Wyckoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious bedtime read. It was hard to read it slowly enough for everyone to understand. The language is complicated for a young children’s story, but the plot and characters are such a romp that young children are motivated to keep up in order to figure out what is so funny. It captured everyone’s attention, stirred imaginations, and made everyone laugh. The only part we weren’t fans of was closing the book for the night.

[Carolina Castillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

♥️

[Mya Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

10 stars! It was so funny.

[Hannah K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious!

[Sara Hollar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick, fun read aloud. It's a collection of three tall tales about a little farm. It's a little odd that it's so short, but each section is a little long for one sitting, unless you have kids who can listen for long stretches. It was funny, silly, and I'm glad we read it. I'll put it on the bookshelf and see if my boys ever pick it up for an independent read.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well told and as cornishly goofy as can be, this will keep your reader laughing at the antics of the McBroom family and their unbelievable experiences. A field that produces crops at incredible rates and weather that can blow eleven children away, with a swarm of locust and a corn cob the size of a car - it's pure fun!

Reading Level: 2nd - 4th grades

Cleanliness: A man's name is Hector but everyone calls him "Heck." The word, "Mercy!" and "Glory be!" are exclaimed a few times. "Tarnation!" is exclaimed. Tobacco juice is referenced.

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[forthefamilyssake Hailey White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This smaller chapter book (around 60 pages) took about an hour to read a loud, an hour that flew by. We were laughing hysterically the entire time. My 6 and 9 years olds understood the humor. Clever story.

[Joann10 · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are all big fans of McBroom after reading this fun "tall tale" book!!
A great read aloud!!

[Inferis Lux · Rating 1 out of 5]

Creo que antes de leer esta reseña tienes que tener en cuenta que esto no deja de ser un libro para niños y para mí se ha quedado muy infantil. Sin embargo creo que cualquier libro que solía leer siendo una niña me habría gustado más que este.

Mi principal problema, dejando de lado que los personajes son increíblemente planos, es que nada de lo que pasa tiene sentido. No me malinterpretéis, siempre me han gustado los libros de fantasía pero incluso en estos las cosas suelen tener una explicación mágica o algo del estilo. Además ni siquiera la trama de esta historia llega a definirse del todo.

Como punto positivo puedo decir que el autor tiene mucha imaginación y que puede que este libro te haga reír, aunque no haya sido mi caso.

A mí no me llegó a enganchar e incluso me pareció aburrido.

[Mary Grace Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, goofy little book! Read it to my 3 and 5 year olds. We all enjoyed it! even my 10 month old thought the popcorn part was funny with all the "pop-pop-pop" ing.

My 3 year old said her favorite part was the grasshoppers. My 5 year old aaid his favorite part was the guy that kept coming "I'll paint xyz cheap!"

Had some good conversations about words and figures of speech they didn't understand. Also a good conversation about the story being made up which my 5 year old was able to deduce even though the story kept promising it was all true. So we talked about how that was a joke and I let him explain how he knew it was a made up story.

Definitely recommend for a fun read!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blurb is awkward. This is an omnibus of stories published in the 60s. They're still entertaining, but some references will confuse modern children. Especially grasshoppers spitting 'tobacco juice' into a cuspidor. I do appreciate the science bit about nitrogen being good for soil. As any teller of whoppers know, mixing in a few facts with the 'fibs' strings the listener/reader along for longer and makes the punchline even funnier.

[Vicky Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo leí por el plan común del colegio y lo encontré demasiado bueno para ser un libro de niños jajajaja no decepciona nunca, me sacó varias carcajadas y me encanta como narra todo con un sentido del humor impecable. Siempre me pasa que los libros de mis niños los encuentro medio fomekes pero este nooo, lo leí más rápido de lo normal para un libro de 100 páginas. Hasta el nombre se oye fome pero prometo que no lo es 5/5 ⭐️ Top 1 de los libros del plan común que he leído.

[Whitney Inlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even tho this book is for children, I loved reading this as an adult. It definitely made me smile. I loved how silly and weird everything was. It lets you step back from reality and dig into your imagination. The slang the author used was perfect to allow the reader to understand how this family lives. I liked that each chapter had a different story line too.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids really liked the silly tall tales in this book about a man and his family on their farm. In fact, they liked it well enough that they would probably give it 5 stars. I knocked one off just for all the explaining I needed to do for their age (6). Rather than true chapters, it's more like the chapters are separate stories. They are already asking for the next McBroom book.

[Charly Troff (JustaReadingMama) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading this in 6th grade and thinking it was just so funny. As an adult, I think it's clever but I also got a little bored.

I did read this aloud with my girls. My seven year old seemed to really like it. I don't think my five and three year old are quite old enough to appreciate it yet.

[JasmineS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Farmer Mcbroom is lucky to harvest one crop a year. Now, harvests 3 or 4 crops a day.If you want to know how it happened, your lucky there's a book about it. Mcbroom is overwhelmed of how rich the soil was. When they planted beans, a beanstalk grew fully grown and ready to pick after about 5 seconds. How CRAZY is that!

[Luz E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fiction
3rd grade -6th Grade Reading Level
I absolutely loved the humor in this book. It is divided into three tales, and each one is incredibly entertaining. Sid Fleishchman skillfully brings the characters to life on the pages. The stories vividly depict the enchanting and magical qualities of the farm, making it a delightful read from start to finish.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the humor was over the boys' heads, but we all enjoyed this delightful story and I've heard elements of it come out in their imaginative play. I think they'll enjoy revisiting it and reading the sequels when they get older.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

What fun stories! I enjoyed reading it so much, and we all had a good laugh. There are three stories included. McBroom Tells the Truth, McBroom and the Big Wind, and McBroom's Ear. I enjoyed all three. If you are looking for clean, humorous stories, you need to read McBroom's.

[Lucía · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro lo leíamos mi hermana y yo cuando éramos pequeñas. Lo encontré en Amazon de segunda mano y lo compré. Me he vuelto a partir de risa con todas las barbaridades increíbles que ocurren en esta granja. Es un libro genial 😜🤣

[Dannaca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved the McBroom stories since I was a kid. They are perfect for early elementary and filled with puns, tall tales, and general improbabilities. And the repetition that has stayed in my head for decades of WillJillHesterChesterPeterPollyTimTomMaryLaryandlittleClarinda!

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

to funny to be true

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

These tall tales are just as delightful now as they were when I first read them years ago. Completely outrageous but so much fun!

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom suggested this book to me as a kid. Great suggestion! I still think about the three minute beans