March is National Agriculture Month, and 2023 year marks the 50th Anniversary of National Agriculture (Ag) Day, which is on March 21, 2023. In honor of National Ag Day and our love for teaching kids about agriculture, we’ve put together a list of some of the best farm books for kids.
Happy National Agriculture (Ag) Month! This may not be a holiday you regularly celebrate, but it’s on our calendar! In honor of National Ag Month and because we love to teach kids about agriculture, we put together a list of the best farm books for kids. These are good books for any occassion — from a bedtime story to teaching kids about where their food comes from and the importance of farming and agriculture.
About National Ag Day & Missouri Agriculture
2023 marks the 50th Anniversary of the National Ag Day. It’s organized by the Agriculture Council of America, a nonprofit organization, that is dedicated to educate and increase awareness of agriculture’s role in society.
Here are some other fun facts about agriculture in the nation, Missouri and St. Louis:
- More than 22 million people are working in the field of agriculture in the U.S.
- A farmer feeds 144 people
- Missouri is home to 95,000 farms, averaging 291 acres each
- Compared to other states in the U.S., Missouri ranks 3rd in beef production.
- According to the 2020 Agriculture Economics study, the agriculture industry contributed $43 billion in Total Economic Contribution or 12.8% of the direct and indirect Gross Domestic Product of the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area (14 country area of MO & IL)
Criteria for our Farm Book List
We love good farm theme books and have many in our home library. There are so many great farm books, but to make our book list, it had to be a book that told about farm animals, life on the farm, or how food goes from farm to table. Captivating pictures are a must. And most importantly, it had to hold the attention of the littlest readers in our house (our daughter and her friends)!
The Best Farm Books for Kids
In general, farm books are broken into two huge categories: 1.) books about farm animals and 2.) books about farm life and how food goes from farm to table. We’ve tried to divide our book list into those two broad categories, but please know there is lots of crossover. We have thoroughly enjoyed all of these books.
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Best Farm Books for Kids Discussing Farm Life and How Food Goes From Farm to Table:
Tractor Mac Series by Billy Steers
Tractor Mac is a whole series of books and we can’t say enough good things about it. They’re perfect for any child that loves farms, farm animals or tractors. The stories give an accurate portrayal of farm-life, and there’s always a great lesson at the end about important topics like teamwork, sharing, friendship, hard work, and helping those in need. Get it here.
How did that get in my lunchbox?
Kids are very curious about everything! This is a great book for kids to learn the basics of where their food comes from. This book focuses on crops and produce. It skips meat entirely, which we wish it didn’t do, but it’s so good about everything else we had to include it on the list. Get it here.
Right This Very Minute: A Table-to-Farm Book About Food and Farming
The best farm books for kids tell about life on actual farms. This is a wonderful book explaining how food is grown, produced, harvested, transported, packaged and arrives to us. It’s a wonderful behind-the-scenes look at numerous sectors of the agriculture industry from crops to livestock, and the effort and energy it takes to go from farm to table. Get it here.
First Peas to the Table
This wonderful book is written by an author from St. Louis. It’s a picture book that teaches children about Thomas Jefferson’s innovations in farming methods and contributions to agricultural production. It’s best for ages 4 and up. Get it here.
Cows Can Moo! Can You?: All About Farms
This is a fun Cat in the Hat book where he spends a day on the farm. Kids will see cows being milked, fields being tilled, sheep being fed and much more! Get it here.
Daddy’s Girl
Daddy’s Girl by Greg Huett tells a wonderful story about a red calf named Scarlet that learns to honor her father and mother. At the end of the book, Huett includes real life photos of the animals that are illustrated in the story. Huett has written several farm-related titles that teach Biblical values and principals like Love your neighbor, the value of family, and hard work. We own several of his books and Daddy’s Girl is our personal fav. Get it here.
Hey, Hey, Hay!
The best farm books for kids tell about life on an actual farm, which is what this book does. In this story, children learn about hay baling and why it’s so important on the farm. The main character is a young girl who helps her mom do the farm chores, specifically, the hay baling. Mom drives the farm machinery and her daughter feeds the horses. Get it here.
Sleep Tight Farm: A Farm Prepares for Winter by Eugenie Doyle and Becca Stadtlander
This is a beautifully written book that shows children how various aspects of the farm need to be taken care of before Winter arrives. For example, it shows how to take care of the farm equipment, protect the strawberry patch, and more. This book is educational for any child that wants to learn more about farm life. The text is simple with only a few lines per page and the illustrations are stunning. Get it here.
Tales of the Dairy Godmother: Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish
If you want a child to understand where ice cream comes from, this is it. This is a great book for understanding dairy farms. In this fairy tale twist, the main character learns how farmers care for their cows, what dairy cows eat, and what appens to all the milk. Get it here.
The Berenstain Bears Reap the Harvest
We’re big fans of all Berenstain Bears books. They have several farm-related books and we like them all. In Reap the Harvest, Brother and Sister learn that working on a farm is hard work, but very satisfying. They also learn that sometimes you have to put in months of hard work on a farm before getting paid. Get it here.
Old MacDonald Had a Truck by Steve Goetz and Eda Kaban
This story for preschoolers and kindergarteners is a fun twist on the classic Old MacDonald Had a Farm Song, but features MacDonald and his wife fixing up an old pick up truck. This fun book can still be sung to the same tune and is so much fun.
Plant & Grow
This is a wonderful lift-the-flap book that is filled with fun farm facts, tractors, harvesting machinery, and lively rural scenes. Get it here.
James Herriot’s Treasury for Children: Warm and Joyful Tales by the Author of All Creatures Great and Small
On a family farm, the local vet is often like an extended-family member. They understand the importance of healthy livestock and the bond that a farmer has with his animals. This book may surprise you to be on our best farm books for kids list, but it has eight, true-to-life short stories from the perspective of a country veterinarian from Yorkshire, England. The illustrations are beautiful and words are written in rich English, so you will want to read it aloud with your child. Our favorite story is “Blossom Comes Home,” which is a touching story about the friendship between a farmer and his dairy cow. This is the perfect book for any animal lover. Get it here.
I Love Strawberries by Shannon Anderson
This book chronicles a young girl’s plan to prove to her parents that she is old enough to grow strawberries in her garden. Through a series of diary entries, she shows she is more than capable of growing strawberries, even though it’s lots of hard work. At the end, she even develops a you-pick strawberry patch for local neighbors. This is a very cute story for any child that wants to learn about growing their own food in their backyard. Get it here.
Best Farm Books for Kids Focused on Farm Animals:
Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Big Red Barn is a classic that was originally published in 1954, and the vintage farm illustrations are beautiful. It tells about the cycle of a day on the farm using simple, rhyming text and features barnyard animals like cows, horses, goats, sheep and a pig learning to squeal. The author is Margaret Wise Brown, who also wrote Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. Get it here.
Indestructibles: Hello, Farm!
Do you need a baby gift? This is it! Indestructibles are printed on a lightweight, paper like material that is chew proof, rip proof and washable. “Hello, Farm” introduces little ones to baby animals that are on the farm in a few short pages. Get it here.
Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
Meet Blue. He is the kindest little farm truck that helps his farmyard friends and strangers with whatever they need. In this book, the Little Blue Truck shows how one act of kindness can cause a rippling effect among those around you. We are a huge fan of all Little Blue Truck books, and this one should be in every child’s library. Get it here.
Around the Farm by Eric Carle
I’ve never met a baby or toddler who didn’t like Around the Farm with its classic, colorful Eric Carle artwork. The version we’re familiar with is a look-and-find book where little ones search farm scenes for hidden objects and animals. There is also a play-a-sound version of this book where kids can tour the farm and hear dozens of different animal sounds — a mooing cow, a neighing horse, a rooster crowing, an owl hooting, a cricket chirping, a dog barking, chickens clucking, and more. Get it here.
Click, Clack, Moo Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin
Who knew farm animals could type?!?! This is a hilarious and funny tale about Farmer Brown and his farm animals that love to type him letters and request things, like an electric blanket. This book is sure to have you and your child laughing. Cronin has written an entire series of Click, Clack, Moo books, so if you like this one, you should check out her others too. Get it here.
Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
There’s something about this book that is magical. At our house, it makes us get up and square dance, literally! In this book, barnyard animals do a square dance — “Bow to the horse. Bow to the cow. Twirl with the pig if you know how.” It uses great rhyming text so that you can practically hear the catchy song they barnyard animals dance to and you can’t help but join in the fun. Get it here.
Do Cows Meow?
This is one of our favorite lift-the-flap farm books. It helps little ones learn the sounds of farm animals. Do cows sing? Do cows cuckoo? All I know is cows go . . . MOO! Get it here
Goodnight Tractor
If your little one loves tractors or farms, they will love this book. The book is also very short, which makes it a great bedtime read….but you may find yourself reading it over and over because kids love it so much! Get it here.
Cindy Moo
Cindy Moo is a fun story of a determined cow named Cindy Moo who proves that cows really can jump over the moon. After many attempts, she is finally successful! After a rainy night, she peeks out the barn door and the moon is clearly reflected in a puddle in the barnyard. Cindy Moo and her bovine friends jump the puddle with ease. Get it here.
Noisy Farm
This is a wonderful board book where children can touch, feel, and hear the farm animals as they read the book. Get it here.
The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
The horse loves hay, the chickens need feed, the geese eat corn and the cow loves… cookies! This is an adorable and funny story that walks through the farmyard and shares what different animals like to eat. It always concludes with the cow, who loves cookies, and on the last page of the book you find out why. This is a cute rhyming story that kids love. Get it here.
Farm Animals
This wonderful book by National Geographic explains what life is like on a family farms, and lets kids see the kinds of plants and animals they would find there. Get it here.
The Busy Little Tractor
The busy little tractor loves to work hard, but he doesn’t like mud! This is a great story about friendship and helping each other. Get it here.
The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone
This classic is on every farm book list. This book gives a strong message on the value of hard work and your readers feel a kinship with the Little Red Hen. It’s a classic for a reason. Get it here.
ONE MORE THING!
Do you want to learn more about beef or our family farm? Join our weekly e-newsletter where we share farm happenings, recipes and beef availability. Sign-up and get a cheat sheet with 9-must-ask questions before buying beef directly from a farmer. Or, we have an entire ebook about beef that goes through purchasing and preparing beef from a cattle farmer’s perspective.
Here are a few other links you may like:
- Buying a Cow. How Much Beef Is It?
- How We Raise Our Grass Fed Beef
- 27 Amazing Facts About Cows
- Do Cows Have Teeth?
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We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. See our disclosure policy for more details.