TRACTOR

An increasingly unfamiliar scene in the American landscape gains a heartfelt tribute, and has a worthy advocate in Brown (City Sounds, 1992, etc.). The farmer hooks his versatile tractor up to the many machines that assist him in the cultivation of his crop. With very few words the seed's progress is charted from fertilized soil to roadside stand. The illustrations expand the text by showing the other recipients of the farm's bounty, including the farmer's children and pets. In a deft touch, the whole enterprise is overseen by a family of robins, whose survival techniques mirror those of the farm family, emphasizing the human's place in the natural scheme of things. The text is easy enough for beginning readers; the only uncommon words are the names of the machines (manure spreader, harrow, cultivator, etc.), which are included in an illustrated glossary at the end. Every page reveals the author's experience and reverence for the enterprise in this loving view of life on a small farm. (Picture book. 3+)