Angus and Sadie by Cynthia Voight. A young couple run a small family farm with
two cows, two barn cats, a house cat, and a small flock of sheep. One winter they decide that they want to get
a dog. They do some research and decide
a border collie would be a good fit for them.
The next spring, they go to the animal shelter to pick out a puppy. As it happens, there is a litter of border
collie mix pups there. Mister chooses a
big, bold, black-and-white male while Missus chooses a small, shy,
red-and-white female. They end up
adopting both and name the male Angus and the female Sadie. The story describes the puppies as the grow,
learn about the farm, and go through training.
The puppies’ misunderstandings of the human world and words are
delightfully entertaining, especially for anyone who has had a dog (or a
child). Not only is it a fun story, but
there are some deep lessons to be learned as well: such as accepting others as
they are and appreciating their differences, overcoming your fears, and
celebrating the accomplishments of others.
The lessons are not spelled out explicitly in the story, but they are
quite clear to the discerning reader. This is one of my favorite books; it can
be a fun read-aloud for younger children and can be used to spark some deeper conversations
with older children about how we should treat one another.
Young Fredle by Cynthia Voight.
This takes place on the same farm as Angus and Sadie, but this time it’s
about a young house mouse who finds himself in the great big scary outside
world. Through a variety of adventures,
he learns that there is a whole lot more to the world than what the house mice
have always known. Gentle Sadie shows up
in this story and welcomes the mouse as a friend. Again, like its predecessor Angus
and Sadie, this story has some wonderful lessons about overcoming
prejudices toward those who aren’t exactly like you and learning to appreciate
their differences. Another fun book to
read-aloud to the kids and to let them enjoy reading on their own over and over
again. I found this book at the library,
but thought it was worth having a copy of our own so that the kids can read it
anytime they want.
Audrey: Cow by Dan Bar-el
One of my kids found this at the library and I read it after they were
done with it. It was inspired by the
true story of a cow who escaped from a slaughterhouse and evaded capture for
more than a week. When she was finally
caught, she was spared and sent to a sanctuary farm. This story is told by the various animals on
the farm and in the forest as if they are speaking to a reporter, each
interjecting their own side of the story.
Audrey grows up loving her life on Bittersweet Farm, making friends with
one of the dogs and the farmer’s little girl.
One day she finds out that there are different kinds of cows: some are
dairy cows who stay at the farm their entire lives, others are NOT dairy cows
and periodically disappear on a big red truck never to be seen again. To her great dismay, Audrey finds out that
she is NOT a dairy cow and is destined to one day take a ride on that fateful
red truck. With encouragement from her mother, she begins to plot and plan a
way to escape when that time comes. The
farm animals help, and after she makes good on her escape, the forest animals
help her hid from her pursuers for more than a week. It’s a humorous story as the author explores
the world through the eyes of the farm animals.
I’d recommend this book for ages 10 and up, as some the concepts or
jokes may be too difficult for younger ones to get.
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