Picture Books
Alsdurf, Phyllis. It’s Milking Time. A young girl spends a day helping her father milk their cows, as she does throughout the year.
Beaumont, Karen. No Sleep for the Sheep! A sheep wants nothing but to go to sleep in the big red barn on the farm, but each time he closes his eyes, another animal moos or neighs or peeps to come in.
Bock, Lee. Oh, Crumps! The misadventure of a sleepy farmer as he agonizes over a mixed-up list of the coming day’s chores.
Bogan, Paulette. Lulu the Big Little Chick. When Lulu gets tired of being told she is too little to do things, she decides to go far, far away.
Clark, Leslie Ann. Peepsqueak! A baby chick named Peepsqueak does not listen to the advice of Big Brown Cow, Big Sheep, Yellow Duck, and Baby Bunny, and tries again and again unsuccessfully to fly, until Old Gray Goose gets involved.
Cronin, Doreen. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. When Farmer Brown’s cows find a typewriter in the barn they start making demands, and go on strike when the farmer refuses to give them what they want.
Czekaj, Jef. Oink-A-Doodle-Moo. In a barnyard, a pig whispers into a rooster’s ear, starting a game of “telephone” that goes horribly awry.
Dodd, Emma. Meow Said the Cow. A noisy rooster causes a disgruntled cat to cast a magic spell that creates confusion among the other farm animals.
Freedman, Deborah. Blue Chicken. An enterprising chicken attempts to help an artist paint the barnyard and accidentally turns the whole picture blue.
Gershator, Phillis. Moo, Moo, Brown Cow, Have You Any Milk? Through rhyming text, farm animals are asked if they have items needed to prepare for a snack and bedtime, such as wool for a blanket, down for a pillow, and milk to drink.
Golson, Terry Blonder. Tillie Lays an Egg. In search of the perfect place to lay her egg, Tillie the chicken leaves the barnyard and explores the farmhouse
Helakoski, Leslie. Big Chickens Fly the Coop. Four fearful chickens venture out to see the farmhouse, with humorous results.
Helakoski, Leslie. Big Chickens Go to Town. Having inadvertently traveled to the big city, four chickens are frightened by the strange noises, strange food, and strange animals they encounter.
Himmelman, John. Cows to the Rescue. After helping the Greenstalk family get to the county fair, the cows busy themselves finding solutions to many other problems that arise during the day.
Himmelman, John. Pigs to the Rescue. All week long the pigs help out around the farm in unexpected ways.
Huneck, Stephen. Sally Goes to the Farm. Sally, a black Labrador retriever, goes to a farm where she enjoys various activities.
Hutchins, Pat. Barn Dance! After Horse, Sheep, and Pig dance until they must lie down to rest, their little ones sneak out to continue the party.
Hutchins, Pat. Ten Red Apples. In rhyming verses, one animal after another neighs, moos, oinks, quacks and makes other appropriate sounds as each eats an apple from the farmer’s tree.
Joosse, Barbara, M. Higgledy-Piggledy Chicks. A hen keeps her seven new baby chicks safe, even though they like to go exploring. Includes brief information about chicks after the story.
Krilanovich, Nadia. Chicken, Chicken, Duck! Easy-to-read, rhythmic text about a group of farm animals, led by a tenacious duck, who play a noisy game together.
Krosoczka, Jarrett. Punk Farm. At the end of the day, while Farmer Joe gets ready for bed, his animals tune their instruments to perform in a big concert as a rock band called Punk Farm.
Laminack, Lester L. Three Hens and a Peacock. When life on the Tucker farm is disrupted by the arrival of a peacock, whose shrieking and strutting bring many welcome visitors, the hens complain that they are doing all of the work until the hound suggests a trade.
Long, Loren. Otis. When a big new yellow tractor arrives, Otis the friendly little tractor is cast away behind the barn, but when trouble occurs Otis is the only one who can help.
Loupy, Christophe. Wiggles. Wiggles the puppy finds her curiosity getting her into all sorts of trouble as she explores the farm with her father.
McGee, Marni. The Noisy Farm. A farmer goes through his daily activities on the farm, accompanied by the sounds of animals and other things.
Minor, Wendell. My Farm Friends. Simple, rhyming text describes the characteristics of different farm animals. Includes “Farm friends fun facts” and books and websites for further reading.
Mortensen, Lori. Cindy Moo. After hearing the famous nursery rhyme, the Diddle herd decides it is impossible for a cow to jump over the moon, but Cindy Moo is determined to discover how it can be done.
Newton, Jill. Crash Bang Donkey! A donkey’s loud musical instruments annoy Farmer Gruff–until he discovers that the music keeps away the pesky crows that have been eating his corn crop.
Oller, Erika. The Cabbage Soup Solution. Elsie lives a simple life on a small farm, growing things that she sells to the green grocer, but one night half of her cabbages disappear and her cats, Fluff and Gordo, find the culprits and make them set things right.
Parish, Herman. Amelia Bedelia’s First Field Trip. Amelia Bedelia goes with her class to visit a farm, where her literal-mindedness causes confusion along with some laughs.
Ransom, Candice, F. Tractor Day. Simple rhyming text describes a child’s day spent riding on the tractor with Daddy at their small farm.
Regan, Dian Curtis. Barnyard Slam. Farm animals express themselves at a poetry slam hosted by Yo Mama Goose.
Sloat, Teri. Farmer Brown Shears His Sheep. Farmer Brown shears his sheep and has their wool made into yarn, but after they beg to have it back he knits the yarn into sweaters for them.
Spinelli, Eileen. Princess Pig. A pig believes herself to be a princess and behaves accordingly, but soon learns that being royalty has a price.
Spurr, Elizabeth. Farm Life. Rhymed descriptions of life on a farm introduce basic colors and the numbers one to ten.
Stiegemeyer, Julie. Gobble Gobble Crash: A Barnyard Counting Bash. A flock of clumsy turkeys disrupts a quiet night on the farm, but when the farmer threatens them, all the barnyard animals help the noisy birds hide.
Stoeke, Janet Morgan. The Loopy Coop Hens: Pip’s Trip. Pip tries to convince her fellow hens, Midge and Dot, to join her for a ride in the farmer’s truck, but she is the only one brave enough to climb inside.
Tafuri, Nancy. All Kinds of Kisses. Each barnyard animal has its favorite kind of kiss, but the best of all is a mother’s goodnight kiss.
Tafuri, Nancy. Spots, Feathers, and Curly Tails. Questions and answers highlight some outstanding characteristics of farm animals, such as a chicken’s feathers and a horse’s mane.
Teague, Mark. Funny Farm. Cousin Edward visits Aunt Judy and Uncle Earl on their farm and tries to help with all of the chores.
Thompson, Lauren. Wee Little Chick.When the other barnyard animals comment on how tiny the littlest chick is, the proud little one peeps louder, stands taller, and runs faster than any of them.
Van Leeuwen, Jean. Chicken Soup. When they hear that Mrs. Farmer is making soup, all the frightenened chickens run for their lives, but Mr. Farmer finds Little Chickie, who has a bad cold, and he takes her to the kitchen for some nice hot vegetable soup.
Wild, Margaret. Nighty Night! Little lambs, chicks, ducks, and pigs change places and try other ways to delay going to bed.
Wilson, Karma. The Cow Loves Cookies. While all the other animals on the farm enjoy eating their regular food, the cow chooses to eat the one thing that she loves best.
Wilson, Karma. Hogwash! When his stubborn pigs refuse a sudsy cleaning, a determined farmer learns that mud baths can be just as fun.
Board Books
Beaton, Clare. Clare Beaton’s Farmyard Rhymes. Presents classic illustrated nursery rhymes with a farmyard theme.
Brown, James. Farm. Introduces farm animals, including pigs, cows, and horses, juxtaposing a simple image of each animal with folk-style art patterns.
Campbell, Rod. Farm Animals. Introduces animals found on a farm and the sounds they make.
Huneck, Stephen. Sally at the Farm.Sally visiting a barnyard, where she makes new friends, helps out, and frolics with an array of friendly animals.
Ryan, Jo. Farm. Learn all about life on the farm in this lift-the-flaps book.
Illustrated Literature
Cooper, Elisha. Farm.Describes the activities on a busy family farm from the spring when preparations for planting begin to the autumn when the cats grow winter coats and the cold rains begin to fall.
Gil, Carmen. Daisy. A good-natured, helpful donkey becomes a favorite of all the farm animals, until a beautiful, young, but arrogant colt arrives to replace the aging donkey.
Johnson, D. B. Four Legs Bad, Two Legs Good! While all of the other animals on a tumbledown farm wait on Farmer Orvie, a pig, who spends a great deal of time sleeping, an unhappy Duck decides that she would be a better farmer and sets out to convince Orvie.
Beginning Readers
Capucilli, Alyssa Satin. Biscuit’s Day at the Farm. Biscuit the dog meets hens, pigs, geese, and goats while visiting a farm.
Cazet, Denys. Elvis the Rooster Almost Goes to Heaven. Elvis the rooster thinks he has died when he fails to crow at the rising of the sun but the chickens find a way to restore his cluck.
Freeman, Martha. Mrs. Wow Never Wanted a Cow. When Mrs. Wow takes in a stray cow, her lazy dog and cat hope to train the new household member to catch mice and intimidate the mailman.
Grant, Judyann. Chicken Said, “Cluck!” Earl and Pearl do not want Chicken’s help in the garden, until a swarm of grasshoppers arrives and her true talent shines.
Houran, Lori Haskins. Busy Tractors, Busy Days.Tractors are busy machines. See the big jobs they do each day!
Lobel, Arnold. Small Pig.A small pig, who likes to wallow in good, soft mud, runs away when the fastidious farmer’s wife decides to clean the pigpen.
Nichols, Catherine. Good Morning, Farm! Describes a typical morning on a farm, from a rooster crowing to eating breakfast after finishing the chores.
Pipe, Jim. Farm Machines.In very simple language and photographs, describes farm machines. Includes quizzes and games
Rau, Dana Meachen. Corn Aplenty. Two children watch a local farmer grow a crop of corn and as the corn develops–from seed to harvest time–so does the friendship between the children and the farmer.
Taylor, Victoria. On The Farm.Introduces young readers to details of life on a farm, with pictures of the farmer and his family at work and the various animals, such as cows, horses, and pigs.
Non-fiction
J 629.225 Mez. Giant Tractors
J 630 Arl. Farm
J 630 Fla. Life in a Farming Community
J 630 Gib. Farming
J 630 Ros. Our Farm: Four Seasons with Five Kids on One Family’s Farm
J 631.37 Pet. Fantastic Farm Machines
J 636 Day. Farm Animals
Fiction
Calhoun, Dia. Eva of the Farm. Twelve-year-old Eva writes beautiful poems on the farm in Washington State that her family has owned for generations, but when money runs out and then her baby brother gets sick, the family faces foreclosure and the way of life she loves is threatened. 228 pages. (J FIC Cal)
Davies, Nicola. Welcome to Silver Street Farm. When Gemma, Meera, and Karl come across some ducklings and baby sheep, they decide to turn an abandoned train station into a farm in the middle of the city. Level N. 153 pages. (J FIC Dav)
Sherrard, Valerie. Tumbleweed Skies. Ellie’s grandmother doesn’t want her around the farm, but times are tough, and her salesman father can’t take her on the road. Ellie’s challenge is to break through her grandmother’s isolation and find kinship among strangers. 153 pages. (J FIC She)
Vischer, Frans. Jimmy Dabble. Jimmy Dabble lives a fairly mundane life on a farm with his extremely frugal and hardworking parents. Jimmy knows he’s not like his mom and dad, for one thing he is teaching the farm animals to sing. 149 pages. (J FIC Vis)
King-Smith, Dick. The Golden Goose. Farmer Skint and his family on Woebegone Farm have fallen on hard times, but their luck changes with the arrival of a special golden goose. 113 pages. (J FIC Kin)