Tractor Mac: Autumn Is Here

by Billy Steers

Tractor Mac and his vehicle and animal friends return in a jacketed hardcover edition about the joys and challenges of change.

Fergus the calf doesn’t want autumn to come to Stony Meadow Farm. Not if it means the cornstalks are cut, the trees lose their leaves, and his bird friends migrate away. Why can’t things just stay the same?

But with the help of Tractor Mac and the rest of his friends, Fergus realizes that there are plenty of fun things about autumn, too, as he learns to appreciate what makes each season special.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Nature, Fiction, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

Published August 20, 2019

About the author

In April 1999, I introduced the first children’s book that I wrote and illustrated, Tractor Mac Arrives at the Farm. Originally published by Golden Books, Tractor Mac Arrives at the Farm tells the story of Sibley the work horse who feels slighted when a “shiny new tractor comes and takes over his chores.” Sibley and Mac overcome their differences and become “the best of friends.” Publisher’s Weekly called it a “bright, spirited read aloud” and after only five months the book was in its second printing.

I have continued on with several more enthralling and likeable Tractor Mac children’s books for boys and girls in the series. Children love the bright, detailed illustrations and absorbing stories, which have become “bedtime favorites.” Subsequent stories include Tractor Mac Learns to Fly followed by Tractor Mac You’re a Winner, Tractor Mac Builds a Barn, Tractor Mac Harvest Time, Tractor Mac Saves Christmas, Tractor Mac Parade’s Best, Tractor Mac Farmer’s Market and Tractor Mac Tune Up. The 10th title in the series, Tractor Mac Farm Days, is a board book developed for the littlest tractor fans and was released in the spring of 2012.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the temperatures start to fall and Stony Meadow Farm becomes a different place with the changing of the seasons, Tractor Mac provides reassurance to Fergus, a calf who's never experienced the season. Fergus has loved playing games and enjoying the summer sun, and as the crops are harvested, he becomes confused and disoriented by all the changes. Tractor Mac, with his kind heart and adorable headlights, explains the reasons for the leaves on the trees to fall off and the crops to be stored for the winter. With some help from the other farm animals, Fergus is able to appreciate the autumn more than he had expected. Some youngsters will find reassurance that change is good and necessary from reading this book. I've always loved the fall season with its crisp weather and colorful foliage, but I can see how someone else might find those changes worrisome.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fergus the calf is experiencing his first Autumn. He is worried and confused about many things. The corn field has been harvested, the leaves on his favorite tree have changed from green to gold and lots of things at the farm are changing. But his friends - including Tractor Mac, teach him that autumn is a wonderful time of year, a time when the farm is preparing for the winter.

Fergus is so cute - of course I was a little alarmed to see cows playing hide and seek in the corn field and jumping in the autumn leaves, but the darling facial expressions on all the animals (and some of the farm machinery) make the story so sweet. The illustrations are rich and warm, the farm is so nostalgic and beautiful I want to visit it myself. I love the Tractor Mac stories.

For this and more of my reviews, visit http://kissthebook.blogspot.com . CHECK IT OUT!

[The Christian School Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little calf does not like change. He prefers everything to stay the same. Tractor Mac helps him understand that sometimes change is necessary and can even be fun.

My Opinion: A little Wordy but still a Cute story!
Theme/Topics: Trackers, Harvest, Autumn, Fall, Farm, Farm Animals, Fear, Change, Changing of the Seasons, Facing your Fears, etc.
Clean or Inappropriate: Clean
Age Group: Kindergarten+
Kids Response: This book was a little wordy for 3 and 4-year-olds, but work well for 5-year-olds. The 3 and-4 year-olds liked "Little Frog and the Scary Autumn Thing" much better.

[Scarlett · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing in these books is so incredibly bad, I have no idea how this series got off the ground.
This sorry excuse for a story follows a calf who feels sad that summer is ending, therefore allowing the writer to hit every “must mention about fall” point neatly. The ONLY redemptive element in this book is the gorgeous illustrations. If you must open this book, pray, do not read a single word. Make up your own story to go along with the nice pictures, as I will be doing with every tractor mac book I come upon.

[Sarah T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Negatives: I just can't get over the art style. Just not my favorite series. It would also be too wordy for storytime I think.

Positives: I had never thought of autumn from a negative perspective before. I can see how this would be a good book for kids as seasons change, but also just a good book to show that change tends to happen for a reason.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is there that is so adorable about a tractor with googly eyes? The writing is average, but the illustrations are what give this book life. I particularly like the diagram of the tractor and the mounted corn picker on the end papers.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The takeaway I get is that it's about a calf who doesn't like change, and the others on the farm try to tell him the positives about the change of season.

It's a nice little book. A tiny bit too wordy for a picture book, but a nice book.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Text Features: diagram of mounted corn picker; diagram of tractor mac,

Curriculum Connection: fall/autumn, seasons, migration, harvest, high-level vocabulary, dealing with change

Audience: 1st - 3rd grade

This is one of 19 Tractor Mac books written by Billy Steers.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tractor Mac helps a young calf who doesn't like the changes Autumn brings to see that change can be good. The story is average but the illustrations are great.

[Selena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book to help children embrace change. Also good for boys and girls alike.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

We usually like these, but this one felt a little rambly.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An elementary and up picture book about a cow on the farm who soesn't want the season to change and the others on the farm trying to get him to embrass the season change.

[Suebee · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many characters! Just eh.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the Tractor Mac series and Fall is my favorite season. I really liked how it talked about the changes and the good it brings, corn and hay for the animals, etc.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is way too long and wordy for its insubstantial story, and the message about accepting change feels forced.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wordy book about a calf who doesn't like change, observing the change in seasons.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tractor Mac helps anxious Fergus the calf appreciate the natural changes that occur on a farm in the autumn.

Tractor Mac books are so fun to look at. Their vibrant colors and details are such fun!

[Emily Carlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Thank you, Tractor Mac, for showing me that change can be good." I really enjoyed this story! It's sweet.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book about adapting to change a and joys of autumn.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everybody on the farm loves autumn, except Fergus the calf who wishes everything would stay the way it was in the summer. Poor Fergus faces disappointment after disappointment, while we get to learn about how the farm changes at fall. (The corn harvester was a HUGE hit with the three-year-old, who only wanted to flip to the pages with it and the hay elevator on them.) Eventually Fergus learns that even though autumn isn't the same as summer, it's not all bad. He learns to love new activities that can only happen in the fall.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autumn is approaching, and all the animals, along with Tractor Mac is looking forward for the changes to occur, all except calf Fergus. Fergus doesn't like the changes that are happing around Stoney Meadow farm. It's up to Tractor Mac to convince Fergus that change is good for the sustainability of the farm, and all the occupants on it to include Fergus.