An engaging blend of words and expressive watercolor images chronicle a year in the life of a contemporary farming family. Elisha Cooper captures myriad activities and elements on the farm across the seasons: Soil is tilled. Crops are sewn and eventually harvested. Cats are ubiquitous. At the center of it all are the farmers (husband and wife) and their two children (girl and boy), who often help out and occasionally get up to mischief. The pleasure is in the narrative details on every page spread, and illustrations that range from intimate to expansive. In June, “The cattle mosey around and poop.” In July, “The boy picks tomatoes, carrots, beans. He throws tomatoes at birds until the farmer tells him to stop.” Each turn of the page reveals something to savor in this quietly compelling volume. (Ages 4–9)

Society of Illustrators 2006 Gold Medal recipient, Elisha Cooper, captures the smell, taste, and feel of the changing seasons on a farm.

Society of Illustrators 2006 Gold Medal recipient, Elisha Cooper, captures the smell, taste, and feel of the changing seasons on a farm.There is so much to look at and learn about on a farm - animals, tractors, crops, and barns. And children feeding animals for morning chores! With lyrical writing and beautiful illustrations that capture the rhythms of the changing seasons, Elisha Cooper brings the farm to life.