Sally Sutton (text) and Brian Lovelock (illustrator), Tractor, Walker Books, February 2022, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781760653385
Farm life is busy!
Ploughing, churning, and harvesting crops are some of the back breaking tasks that comprise farm life. But with a tractor heavy work is made easy, especially when shared on a family farm.
Sally Sutton places the family tractor amidst a busy corn harvest and creates a backdrop of farm life we don’t often see.
Tractor is colourful, and the working farm is brought to life by Brian Lovelock’s richly detailed illustrations. Young readers will be fascinated by the many tasks a tractor can do and find appreciation for the hard work of farmers to produce food that makes its way to our tables.
The text and rhyme is accessible and rhythmic, drawing young readers into the fascinating world of working vehicles.
There are plenty of opportunities for craft and word learning for young readers, and parents, teachers and librarians will find it a fun read. The inclusion of a visual diagram of the parts of the tractor is sure to have young vehicle lovers engaged and repeating new words in their tractor vocabulary!
Tractor is a wonderful glimpse into life on a farm and the integral role working machinery plays in the world. It forms part of the Roadworks series – an excellent introduction for young readers to all things construction from the wheels that turn large trucks to the beautiful chaos of construction and demolition.
Reviewed by Shelley Stephens
