Family Farm

by Thomas Locker

Beautifully warm full-color paintings highlight a tale about Mike and Sarah, who try to help their family farm survive some lean times by raising pumpkins and flowers, but still they need more money. Reprint.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Thomas Locker was one of the major American painters of the past century. In a career that spanned almost 60 years, he had over 75 solo exhibitions. His work ranged from the delicate to the monumental, but all had one thing in common: the beauty of the natural world. He had a deep appreciation for the elusive link between the human spirit and the sublime force of nature.

He spent his entire life in service to his two great passions: painting and nature. Through widespread exhibition of his artwork and publication of his illustrated children’s books, Mr. Locker touched the hearts and minds of countless people.

Mr. Locker’s early paintings were poetic landscapes. Dr. Joshua C. Taylor, former director of the National Collection of Fine Arts for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., wrote, "Although Locker’s landscapes are not glimpses of a new Arcadia, the quotation from the past re-emphasizes their cerebral play. They call attention less to Nature than to the complex intermingling of perception and thought in the mind of man. Suddenly, seeing becomes thinking, and thinking a delight to the age."

In 1982, Thomas Locker’s career took on a new and even broader dimension. In an effort to connect with a wider audience and educate younger minds, he began work on his first children’s picture book, Where the River Begins. Today, Mr. Locker’s exceptional paintings and illustrations grace the pages of some 30 different books, several of which he also wrote. These unique books have been honoured with numerous awards, including the prestigious Christopher Award, the John Burroughs Award, and the New York Times Award for best illustration.

Thomas Locker’s landscapes have a quality all their own. His years of experimentation and research into the glazing techniques and paint chemistry of traditional European painting have enabled him to achieve a new vision of the traditional for a non-traditional age.

His books have received many awards, including the John Burroughs Young Reader Award, NCTE Notable Trade Books in the Language Arts, NSTA-CBS Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children, the Christopher Award, and others.

http://www.rmichelson.com/Artist_Page...

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Somehow we'll find a way to keep the farm going. We always have."

Times are tough for family owned farms, and Mike and Sarah worry that they'll have to sell theirs, and move to the big city where their father can get a job. Turns out . . . they only need to rethink what they've been planting.

Gorgeous artwork by the author makes this one worth checking out.

[sincerely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reality in every way, but pictured and told beautifully 😍

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Family Farm depicts a working farm family who are struggling to make ends meet. They live on a multi-crop, multi-species farm of the type that has rapidly disappeared from the American countryside. The illustrations are rich, realistic, and pleasing to the eye; and the story has a bit of melancholy mixed with its hope that's not always seen in young children's literature.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a family who lived on a small farm, and some of the hardships, and struggles they faced trying to survive with very little money coming in. The family must find ways to make ends meet, and everyone pitches to do their part.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A family works together and makes sacrifices to keep the family farm afloat.

[Deevena Jemima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet book.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

1997 I found this to be like a textbook.

2000 Alissa met Thomas Locker's father on the way into the library. He took her address and said he would send her a copy of Thomas' book. And he did.