This Farm Is a Family

by Dan McKernan, Denise Hughes (Illustrator)

Overview

In this adorable illustrated picture book for kids written by Dan Mc Kernan (Saved by the Barn), the rescue farm animals at Barn Sanctuary decide to help a cow who is dealing with fear and anxiety in her new home. Children will learn the importance of friendship and compassion, as well as why it’s important to support others during hard times.

Inside this book, kids ages 4-8 will discover:

• A positive message about friendship, kindness, and understanding others
• How to show compassion to others
• Ways of coping with difficult situations, including how to deal with fear and anxiety
• A page with information on Barn Sanctuary and their rescue efforts, with information on ways you can support the real-life animals featured in the book

This Farm Is a Family follows a group of rescued farm animals who are living their best lives at Barn Sanctuary. Each one is eager to meet the newest arrival, Buttercup the cow, and show her all the fun things they can do together. But Buttercup doesn’t want to play—in fact, she doesn’t want anything to do with the other animals. So with a lot of love and understanding, the animals work together to help Buttercup discover she’s part of a new family and can leave her old fears behind.

This Farm Is a Family is perfect for:

• Birthdays, Christmas, and Easter or Passover gifts, as well as back to school reading
• Children ages 4-8 who love farm animals and cuddly creatures
• Teaching young readers kindness and compassion, and that they can make a difference in the world
• Kids who are in a new school, new neighborhood, or new house

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310747840
Publisher:	Zonderkidz
Publication date:	04/05/2022
Series:	Barn Sanctuary
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	502,370
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Dan Mc Kernan is an animal advocate and star of the popular Animal Planet series Saved by the Barn. Originally working a tech job in Austin, Texas, Dan made the decision to shift his focus and take over his family’s 140-year-old farm in Michigan and transform it into Barn Sanctuary, a place for farm animals that have experienced abuse and neglect and need a forever home.

Editorial Reviews

'In this gentle, compassionate fictional picture book, young children are introduced to some of Barn Sanctuary's animal characters. Mike the cow, Little Dude the pig, Ginger the lamb, and Twitch and Steve the goats are thrilled when Farmer Dan tells them the exciting news that a new cow named Buttercup is arriving that day. The animals think of ways to be welcoming: throw a party, have an egg hunt, snuggle with Buttercup, or tickle her. However, nothing goes as planned. Despite the animals' best efforts to be friendly, Buttercup is grumpy and angry. The animals are perplexed. Is Buttercup just mean? The animals decide to stay away from Buttercup and stop trying to be kind to her. However, one day, little Dude decides to sneak to Buttercup's stall and watch her. But to his surprise, Buttercup is gone. What happens next sets the animals' relationship on a healing and healthy course as the reason for Buttercup's actions is revealed. Peace and harmony are restored on the farm. The comforting reality is that, at Barn Sanctuary, the animals are a family, and families help each other through good times and difficult circumstances. Illustrator Denise Hughes's delightful depiction of the farm animals and their varied emotions as they unravel the mystery of Buttercup's behavior complement author Dan Mc Kernan's kind-hearted narrative.'

June 2022 The Banner

2022 Northern Lights Book Award Winner, Animals/Pets Category

Northern Lights Book Awards