Over on the Farm

Reviews

“Over on the Farm is the latest in Marianne Berkes’ wonderful collection of interactive books for children. The lively illustrations of farm animals will bring smiles to the faces of children and adults alike, and the rhythm, rhyme, counting, and movement opportunities lovingly crafted into Marianne’s prose ensure that young readers will be both engaged and delighted.”

— Rae Pica, author, What If Everybody Understood Child Development? (January 2016)

---

“Marianne Berkes knows early childhood! Her books take young children on adventures that connect music, language, counting, and movement … and this time she takes them on a lively trip to the farm! Children will be singing along with this simple melody while counting and acquiring new vocabulary. The activities provided in the back of the book create an interactive experience children will want to have again and again.”

— Emily Morgan, author of the Next Time You See children’s book series andPicture-Perfect Science Lessons (January 2016)

---

“Over On the Farm” is an old-fashioned joy to read to young children with multiple sensory educational game possibilities imbedded in its narrative context. A counting verse, with colorful illustrations of all the farm animal families, “Over On the Farm” is also a musical song which can be sung to the tune, “Over in the Meadow. “Over in the Farm” is an imaginative farm adaptation of “Over in the Meadow,” by Olive A. Wadsworth. Man different tasks, games, and activities are suggested at the end of the story, which counts the offspring of farm animals from a mother hen and baby chick (one), to a mother pig and her little piglets (ten). There is extra information about the animals included, seasons on the farm, and other suggestions for learning activities related to math, science, language arts, art, and from farm to table. There are also movement and music activities, and more resources and activities can be downloaded from, www.dawnpub.com. “Over On the Farm” is suitable for children age 4 and up, with potential for many hours of farm-related learning fun. The delightful colored illustrations hold a surprise rooster hidden or displayed in every number page, providing added visual interest for young readers.

— James Cox, Children’s Bookwatch (2016)

---

“Over on the Farm is the latest book by Marianne Berkes and it is a great addition to the “Over” series. I am thrilled to add this book to my school library and anxiously await reading this to children who are not very familiar with a farm. Spring is here, the traditional time for baby animals, and a visit to the farm is a perfect way to introduce a spring unit. Rich vocabulary with rhyming text is all that is needed to engage young readers as they learn about a slice of life that is not as visible as in the past. The illustrations are vivid, animals cavort across entire pages and children will imagine they are on a farm. Marianne excels on all levels, fun with math, music, science and she certainly makes learning fun. I recommend this engaging book to all “city” readers. It is full of fun, facts and farm animals.”

—  Review, Barnes & Noble.com (2016)

---

“OVER ON THE FARM by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Cathy Morrison is another great Spring release from Dawn Publications. This cute picture book shows young readers about life on a farm. The prose can be sung to the tune of “Over in the Meadow,” so there is potential for even more family read-along fun!

OVER ON THE FARM is geared towards younger readers. There are suggestions in the back of the book for different finger or body movements for each farm animal’s action. In addition, there is a section on fact or fiction concerning baby animals as well as the different seasons on a farm. There are also much more detailed descriptions about the different farm animals for those children who want to learn more!

As a mom, I was especially excited to see the “More Fun on the Farm” section. This section of the book included fun enrichment ideas for math, language arts, science, music and art. There is also an activities site online with more suggestions. I loved these games/activities (some of which are aligned to Common Core and Next Generation Science standards) and certainly encourage teachers to check out this book.”

—  Booking Mama.net (2016)

---

“In this simple little counting book, the author reworks the song “Over in the Meadow,” into a rhyme about the animals on a traditional farm. For example:

Over on the farm

In a tree-hollow heaven

Lived a mother barn owl

And her little owlets seven

Some of the counts aren’t quite realistic, but the author takes license for the sake of rhyme and rhythm and later explains what the animals are really like. And the actions the animals take are consistent with actions real animals take and kids can identify with. As usual, Morrison’s beautiful illustrations follow the text exactly and enhance the reader’s activities, such as counting the babies and looking for other details. Just like the new verses to the song, there seem to be end to the reading activities available to first graders and up. Along with music for the song, directions are given for dancing to it. More Fun on the Farm makes many suggestions for further enjoyment of the story.”

— First Grade Reading.net (2016)

---

“Over on the Farm is the latest book by Marianne Berkes and it is a great addition to the “Over” series. I am thrilled to add this book to my school library and anxiously await reading this to children who are not very familiar with a farm. Spring is here, the traditional time for baby animals, and a visit to the farm is a perfect way to introduce a spring unit. Rich vocabulary with rhyming text is all that is needed to engage young readers as they learn about a slice of life that is not as visible as in the past. The illustrations are vivid, animals cavort across entire pages and children will imagine they are on a farm. Marianne excels on all levels, fun with math, music, science and she certainly makes learning fun. I recommend this engaging book to all “city” readers. It is full of fun, facts and farm animals.”

—  Review, Barnes & Noble.com (2016)

---

Marianne Berkes has two more fun sing-along-while-you-read books. One features mother and baby animals found on the African Savanna: zebras, giraffes, hippopotamuses, lions, chimps, apes… and my favorite, meerkats. The other features familiar barnyard animals: goats, cats, cows, horses, ducks and even owls. As in her other books, the text introduces the less familiar baby names – “kid” for goat, “poult” for turkey – and is structured as a counting book. There’s also lots of action as the mothers and their babies gallop, swing, strut, stalk, yip, neigh… all things that the kids listening to the book will want to act out on their own.

What I love about these books is that at the end there’s the music so you can sing along with the story … which, if you grew up singing “Over in the meadow” you might do automatically.

There’s also lots of “beyond the book” activities at the back of the book, including more information about each featured animal. Back matter in Over in the Grasslands includes a map of Africa showing where the animals live, a key to “hidden” animals (they show up in the book but you really have to take a second or third look to find them!), and some awesome tips from the illustrator, Jill Dubin, that might inspire you to try your own cut-paper art. More activities here. Activities in Over on the Farm focus on math, science, language arts, music, movement, and art. Did you know you can grow a plant from the top of a carrot? There’s also a section about food “from farm to table” with activities for making butter and “honey corn”.

— Sue Heavenrich, Sally’s Bookshelf Blog (Dec 2016)

---

“Can’t go wrong with any book in this series from Dawn Publications. It has counting, rhyming, hidden pictures, awesome vocabulary development and it repeats so the child can help to “read’ and learn about farm animals as they go. My kids, ages 4, 6 and 8 all love this book. I often find them in their beds studying the pictures after I have read it to them before bed. A great addition to any library – personal or professional.”

— Erin, Amazon.com (January 2016)