Did you know that farm books for preschool teach young readers so many fabulous skills and concepts? From animals to lifecycles to seasons to food groups, grab these books and get ready to read!
Farm books for preschool delight young readers
What is it about farms that totally delight our young readers?
Maybe it’s all of the awesome vehicles that can be found on a farm at any given moment. Maybe it’s a look at all of the different animals that inhabit the farm on a given day. Maybe it’s the lifestyle of growing crops and caring for livestock that is enthralling to our littlest kids.
Whatever the reason, children love everything about farms, and these farm books for preschool will excite them to no end!
Use children’s books about farms to teach a variety of skills
You probably never gave much thought to how much children can learn from farm books for preschoolers (and big kids too!) Aside from the fact that learning about farms is a meaningful way to help connect children to the earth, it’s also a great way to teach kids so many other important lessons.
For our youngest children, farm books for preschool help kids learn animal sounds. Believe it or not, this helps with language development and is a phenomenal way to teach kids about spoken communication.
Stories about farms also teach kids where their food comes from. They help children understand lifecycles and seasons, both of which are crucial to understanding how to grow fruit, vegetables, and other crops on farmland. Farm books for preschool also teach children about different vehicles and the way that each one has a specific role on the farm. And my favorite? Stories set on farms even teach kids how to communicate and work together for a common goal.
There are so many benefits to reading farm books for preschool and elementary school, too, so be sure to check out some of these fantastic stories!
RELATED: We’ve got more than 100 children’s book lists on Happily Ever Elephants. You’ve got to check out this link!
Frequently asked questions
Children love learning about the world around them, and one topic that mesmerizes them to no end is farming. Farm books and thematic farm units in school can teach children about animals, growing plants and crops, different types of foods, different types of vehicles, and even the seasons and the earth.
Old MacDonald Had a Truck, by Steve Goetz and Eda Kaban (featured below) is always a huge hit. Little readers love the fact that they are reading and singing a familiar song – with a twist! Kids love learning about all the vehicles that may be found on a farm, and you can also discuss all the animals you see on each different page. This one never fails to delight preschoolers!
Without a doubt, it’s Sophie Blackall’s stunning book, Farmhouse. Based on a real family and a real farm, the book is written as a long-form poem that so beautifully captures what living on a farm is like over decades. The illustrations are gorgeous, the writing is exquisite, and it is, simply put, a masterpiece.
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We love these children’s transportation books!
This is one of my favorite picture books for 2022. Sophie Blackall is an absolute gift to children’s literature, and this story, written as a long-form poem, is so stunning you will come back to it again and again. Based on a real family and a real farmhouse, readers will pore over the details of what it’s like to live on a farm over time. Though seasons, people, and places may change, the stories and history that take place within the walls of a farmhouse live on forever. With rhythmic prose and exquisite detail in the lush illustrations, this book is a spring point for learning and conversation that will grow with your readers as they age. An absolute masterpiece and hands down my favorite children’s book about farms!
Excavators, front loaders, motor graders, oh my! Everyone’s favorite childhood nursery rhyme, Old MacDonald had a Farm, gets a fresh twist in this adorable, sing-sing book. Here, the animals are driving construction equipment and working on a farm at Old MacDonald’s direction. The illustrations are lively and the book will have you and your child singing some new lyrics – such as “E-I-E-I-HOE!” for hours on end.
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This classic farm book for preschool has enthralled kids for decades! Children will love reading about various farm animals as they settle down to sleep for the night. The story is simple, the animals are charming, and as the sun begins to set atop the big red barn, your children will wind down for the night just like the animals. A perfect bedtime story!
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We absolutely love Abrams’ Block Book series, especially Alphablock on our list of alphabet books and Countablock on our list of counting books. A list of farm books would not be complete without this darling read from the same series! In this installment, young readers will get to plant some crops, harvest veggies, and even make jam for the farmer’s market! And don’t forget about all those adorable animals. This book is such fun to show what happens on a farm all year round.
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Amara can’t wait to host a potluck meal for her friends! But first, she must find pumpkins for her tasty treats. What do we know about pumpkins? We love the way this farm book for preschool invites readers into the story to hunt for pumpkins and compare them to the other produce growing in Amara’s garden. This is a fabulous read-aloud for the fall season, too!
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Your vehicle-loving kids will absolutely love this darling story about all of the important jobs done on the farm. From plowing to churning to spraying, the farm is full of excitement as farmers and machines plant, care for, and eventually sample the crop! The bold pictures and exciting text will delight both farm and equipment-loving kids. We love this newest installment in the wonderful Roadwork series.
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In this hilarious story about cows on a farm, Farmer Brown faces a big challenge. Somehow, the cows on the farm learn to type – and they’ve got some big demands! After all, the barn is cold at night, and the cows need electric blankets to stay warm! When Farmer Brown refuses to give in to the cows’ hilarious requests, chaos ensues. The cows are on strike! This farm book for preschoolers is so funny – a read-aloud winner and a story beloved by grownups and children alike.
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I love books that creatively come full circle, and this one does just that! One old truck works hard on a farm and is the center of a young girl’s imagination. But as the truck gets older and older, it can no longer do the things it used to. Yet – the truck isn’t the only thing growing older. The young girl ages, too, and as she does, she begins her own work — and her own family — on the farm. As the girl restores the farm around and celebrates her accomplishments, she also finds a way to breathe new life into the old truck. Using 250 handmade stamps to create the artwork in the book, this quiet beauty is destined to become a classic!
RELATED: We’ve got a fabulous list of kindergarten read-alouds for you on Happily Ever Elephants, all of which make for great bedtime stories. Be sure to check them out!
Farmer Duck is pretty amazing. He takes such good care of the farm! He cooks and cleans, tends to the crops, and even takes care of all the animals. But one day, he can’t take it anymore. Why isn’t the actual farmer doing any work? The poor duck is exhausted and tired! But don’t worry. Farmer Duck has a lot of compassionate friends on the farm, and they come to his rescue in one hilarious conclusion!
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This is a great multicultural story of a farm maiden preparing a pinata for a young girl’s surprise party while the girl is out running errands. With the help of a boy and a farmer, together with a goose, horse, cat, and sheep, they scramble to finish the preparations just in time. We love cumulative stories, and this one, with its interwoven Spanish vocabulary, is just so much fun!
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Otis was a family favorite for years! We love this story of a sweet, special tractor that has gotten a bit old. When a big yellow tractor comes to replace Otis, poor Otis is cast away behind the barn. One day, Otis’s beloved little calf gets stuck in Mud Pond – and there’s only one tractor able to save him. Otis to the rescue! We love this sweet story of friendship and how it conveys that everyone has value and importance – even the things that are no longer shiny and new.
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This gorgeous children’s winter book tells how one farm prepares for the coming winter. It’s a beautiful explanation of what winter means for the farm, and how each season gives rise to winter’s well-earned rest. After sheltering people and animals and keeping everyone fed and warm, it is now time for the farm to sleep.
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This book has a lot of text, but it’s so fabulous that I had to include it on this list! This nonfiction work explores topics like where our food comes from, what role farms play, what it is like to be a farmer on a daily basis, and how farmers grow fresh food for us to eat in a sustainable way. This is a wonderful, factual look at a small-scale farm throughout the seasons, and it is a wonderful farm book that will grow with your child through the years.
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What animals munch on grass? Which ones roll in the mud, and who welcomes every new day with his loud call? We love this vibrant introduction to the farm, and it is one of our favorite indestructible books. Not only do kids love animals, but teaching kids their animal sounds is important for speech development as it introduces communication to little ones.
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RELATED: Do you have big kids getting ready to read at your house? Don’t miss our fantastic list of the best early reader books!
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