I Grew Up on a Farm

Alan Lewis
Illustrated by Bob Fletcher

1/22/2006 nonfiction, book review, I Grew Up On a Farm, children's book, easy reader, farm life, Alan Lewis, Bob Fletcher, Jandy's Reading Room

Review by Molly

I Grew Up On A Farm is an autobiographical account of the author’s life spent on a functioning farm in Middletown, New York during the 1950s. Written by author Alan Lewis and illustrated by artist Bob Fletcher I Grew Up On A Farm brings to life the author’s memories of a time shared by this reviewer and sadly lost to many today. I Grew Up On A Farm offers the reader a fascinating peek into farm life as experienced by much of America for a good part of the last century. And it offers a moment of reminisce for those who enjoy remembering their own childhood spent in much the manner as writer Lewis has captured.

Written in child friendly text and richly illustrated I Grew Up On A Farm brings the reader step by step with the writer as he gathers eggs, plays with his dog, gathers produce from the family garden for sale at a roadside booth. The reader is offered a glimpse into the work and fun to be found on a family farm. We see fishing down at the pond, taking care of chores and whiling away the long summer days with family and friends.

I particularly liked the artwork found in the work. Illustrated with black and white photographs expanded by illustrator Fletcher to full color drawings each page is a treat. I Grew Up On A Farm is a good-hearted tale of a time quickly vanishing from our country. Urban sprawl stretching further and further into areas where family farms once flourished.

I took I Grew Up On A Farm to my fourth grade class room where it became an instant hit. We live in a rural portion of Oklahoma, however only one of the students actually lives ‘out in the country’. The kids were enthralled to listen to the tale and have taken turns reading the book to themselves since. We voted regarding the art work and our consensus is ‘the art work is great!’

I Grew Up On A Farm is a read to book for the younger set of 3 – 8s. It is a read with some help for the 8s and 9s and a read alone for most middle grades. The book provides an excellent opportunity for children to discuss life today as opposed to life a few years ago and to speculate about how life may change in the future. I Grew Up On A Farm is an excellent choice for the home pleasure library, the classroom book shelf, school library stacks and the homeschool reading list.

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