Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm

My 2yo is obsessed with looking through this book by herself as if it were a cataloge. She loves to point at he animals and ask their names- it's adorable

Quite a bit has changed about the world we live in, but it's wonderful to know that our friends at Maple Hill Farm are still keeping it real. This was one of my favorite books as a child and I can't wait to read it to my son (due in January.) I just ordered a new copy of this book and was so pleased to read it again and realize how fun it is to read as an adult. I love that there's no quest, no competition, no major challenges- it's just life on a farm with lots of real animals that have unique personalities. It's exciting because all of animals are fun and goofy and they do all the usual things that chickens, goats, cats, horses, dogs and sheep do. The cats catch snakes and move kittens around, the horses get dirty and chase each other, the chickens eat ants and take sun baths, the dogs bark at geese and chew up pillows. None of them wear clothes, talk or drive cars, and I kind of find it refreshing. Not that there's anything wrong with fantasy, but I love that reality can be just as entertaining for kids and adults. And, yeah, I did start crying when I got to the end- the quiet corner of the woods where the animals of the past were buried. It's not maudlin or overtly tugging on your heartstrings- it's just real. That's what makes this book such a great read.

This book is incredibly captivating - my 3-year-old asks us to read it to her every night. She loves to hear all about the different kinds of animals that live on the farm, and the quirky stories about their personalities are funny. For a child who doesn't live near a real farm, this book provides in-depth insight into the day-to-day farm experiences without being boring. My daughter likes to skip around in the book rather than read it cover to cover, which helps to hold her attention, and allows her to be in control (which is big when you're 3!). I highly recommend this book to adults who get tired of reading the same books to their kids over and over - this one is very entertaining!

This was my all-time-favorite book growing up as a child--I literally read it until it was falling apart at the seams. I loved the wry humor of it and they way that it didn't "talk down" to kids, like a lot of other children's books in the seventies (as I remember them, anyway). When my mother and I learned it was going out of print (this was probably the late eighties), my mom bought all the copies she could find, and kept them in her closet to give to the young children her nieces and nephews kept having. And I think there is still the last copy hidded away in that closet for my as-yet-unborn child. I searched for it here on a lark, and I am so happy to see it back in print for a whole other generation to enjoy!! I definitely be buying copies for all the children of my friends!

Our Animal Friends is one of very few books to survive my childhood intact, mostly because it was (is!) one of my all-time favorites. Now, over two decades later, I'm sharing it with my son, who loves it like I did. He's always asking for it to come down from the shelf and be shared. I heartily recommend it to anyone who loves animals as individuals and friends, whether they are fortunate enough to live on a farm themselves or in the city.

Unforgettable characters and illustrations grace this perfectly written tour of Maple Hill Farm. With nonpariel style and humor, children are introduced to the true beauty of rural life in the United States. A classic in its own time, this book is sure to delight everyone who discovers its candid beauty.