Tractor

Construction Crew

by Sally Sutton, Brian Lovelock (Illustrator)

Small children who like big machines that go—and things that grow—will love this ode to farm equipment from the team behind the Roadworks series.

Down on the farm, let’s plant the seeds.
Tip them! Flip them!
Go, go, go!

From the plow that cuts the earth and the harrow that churns the soil to the seed drill that plants the seeds, the sprayer that waters them, the combine harvester that reaps the corn, and the dump cart that brings the tasty load to the truck, there’s plenty of noisy excitement that happens on a farm. And don’t forget the hard-working tractor, which rests when the farm workers take a break and sample the crop! From the creative pair that brought us the Roadworks series (with more than a million copies sold), Tractor will be a go-to read-aloud for little ones mesmerized by its sound words and bold, graphic sights.

Genres: Picture Books, Transport, Childrens, Plants, Trucks, Food

32 pages, Hardcover

Published August 9, 2022

About the author

Sally Sutton is an Auckland playwright and children’s writer. Her first picture book, "Crazy Kiwi Tops and Tails", was published by Penguin in 2006. "Roadworks" will be her third picture book. She lives in the bush-clad suburb of Birkenhead with her husband and children

Reviews

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the rhythm of this book, it has a wonderful read-aloud quality for fans of big machines and/or farms.

[Olivia]

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/tractor/

TRACTOR is a charming look at all the machines the tractor uses during planting and harvesting. The repetitive text walks through each step of the farming process, and puts a label on the machine the tractor uses to accomplish it. For instance, it talks about cutting the earth and asks what does the cutting before revealing it is the plow! The backmatter labels all the parts of the tractor for some extra educational context.

What I loved: This is a picture book that toddlers and preschoolers who enjoy vehicles and farms will love. The format includes repetitive text and sound words which conclude with a question before a reveal on the next page that is interactive and engaging - a method that works well for little ones. Detailed and softly colored full page illustrations capture the farming experience and all the machines that are used to accomplish things around the farm. Fun details like the dog, children, and other animals will give little ones some things to enjoy.

Large, bold font will help with early word recognition and make it easy for caregivers to read aloud. The backmatter that labels the parts of a tractor add to the educational information for young readers.

Final verdict: TRACTOR is a picture book that is sure to charm young vehicle lovers. Recommend for toddlers and preschoolers.

Please note that I received a review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sally Sutton's popularity with the preschool construction and big machine loving crowd will continue with this title which explores tractors and their role on the farm. The rhyming text and onomatopoeia make reading this aloud a fun and interactive experience with young children. They will catch on to the rhythm and text patterns quickly and I expect that they will ask for multiple readings.

The story contains wonderful tractor and farm language that will build vocabulary and concept competence. Included on the final page is a great spread on the parts of a tractor from side and back angles. It would make a great addition to a farm theme curriculum for preschoolers and kindergarteners.

The oversize square format for case and pages help make the book visually stunning with Brian Lovelock's pigmented ink art. I especially like how they are both soft and strong at the same time. The red of the tractor wheels pops from the page, but the blue in the sky just melts as you look at it. The size of the pages makes this an excellent book to read in a group setting as everyone will see the details of the tractor as it does its various jobs.

I would highly recommend this book for purchase by school or public libraries for their informational picture book section.

This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a wonderful, educational story about where Corn comes from -for the child, or adult, who has never been on a farm, seen a tractor or other farming equipment, or known where vegetables actually come from. The simple questions allow a child to think about the equipment, the soil, the crop, and the harvest - what is involved in providing food for everyone. The last two pages describe the main parts of a farm tractor. Illustrated in bright colors, this book will enchant boys and girl by providing simple answers for the child's Why? How? and Where?

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the fact that this series retains its focus, the basic color scheme, and the action vocabulary to describe the machine that is the focus of the title. The titles in this series are so appropriate for the machine interested preschooler. Included in this title is an illustration of a tractor labeling the basic parts.

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children learn of the versatility of the tractor and its essential uses on a farm. Even the end papers suit the theme. Illustrations emphasize soil and sky as a family works the land from tilling until harvest. Repetition, rhythm and rhyme offer opportunities for call and response or hand gestures. At the end there is a diagram of parts of a tractor. This Australian book is relevant worldwide.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

This word and picture book shows all the different types of machines used on a farm, and what it takes to prep, plant and harvest a crop with the workhorse of all machines, the tractor, leading the way.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This informative, simple book teaches young readers the names of some farm equipment they might see if they live in a rural area. A decent story for story time--it has the benefit of being short and on a topic interesting to young readers.

[Katie Mcsweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 2 year old demands that we read this book to him twice before his nap and twice before going to bed for the night since September. That’s four months, non-stop… we both know it off by heart. He even ‘reads’ it to his teddies. He wasn’t even that interested in books until we read this.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun illustrations and straightforward text take the reader through the process of growing corn and all the parts a tractor plays in the process.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great picture book for younger children who are mesmerised by machines.

[Ms. Madalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short easy picture about the different machinery used on a farm.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rural addition to this pair's stellar collection of vehicle books.

[Y.Poston]

a very cool exploration of farmer and a tractor

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rhyming picture book about tractors and the work they do on a farm. A cute book sure to please lovers of things that go.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Scarlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like all of Sally Sutton books (my son likes them even more 😜), but this one is my favorite. (The boy’s favorite is “Wheels”)

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A board book that gives a little more detail on the parts and attachments on a tractor accompanied with rhyming, repetitive text about the purpose of the different parts. Lots of little ones that love tractors will appreciate this.

[Wade Huggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tractor is a cute little board book about the equipment onboard a tractor. The pieces of the tractor have their own one page description and then a page of the book that explains the function of the part of the tractor. The book has nice pictures and would make a good read aloud for little a 4-6 year old audience that likes trucks and farm equipment. Recommended, for ages 3 to 6, by the SEPA Book Reviewers.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was fun

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many children, life on a farm is mysterious and immeasurably fascinating with all those big pieces of equipment driving around on open fields! There are so many different jobs to be done on a farm to create the food we eat, but what is the most important piece of equipment that helps a farmer complete all his or her daily tasks? Tractor by Sally Sutton is a new picture book that will let you and your children head down to the farm and learn about the most valuable piece of machinery that works hard every day chopping, churning, planting and harvesting crops that go into the food we all eat. The lyrical text and bright illustrations found within the pages of this book make it a fun and educational read for big machine lovers of all ages! It even includes a page at the end of the book that breaks down all the parts of a tractor, making it perfect for those detail-oriented kids who want to know exactly how it all works. In summary, this book is sure to become a go-to favourite for little ones mesmerized by big machines that go!

[Steph]

Turn/Level: B(2)/2

Tractors, Tractor Attachments, Farms

Goes over the stages of farming and the names of the tractor attachments that do the work. Could match a tractors or farming theme.

[Miss Janis the Storytime Lady · Rating 1 out of 5]

nope.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another absolutely excellent book written by Sutton and illustrated by Lovelock that introduces young children to how processes work, this time looking at farming.