I GREW UP ON A FARM

A nostalgic reverie by the author recalls his days growing up on a farm 50 years ago. The boyhood voice relates in straightforward text the experiences of gathering eggs, horseback riding, feeding pigs, fishing, sledding and learning to drive the tractor. The writing plods like a primer from those days, simply serving as a vehicle for the out-of-the-ordinary illustrations. The creative use of black-and-white photos with art is visually curious and eye-catching. Fletcher uses family photos in two techniques: Actual photos are mounted with corner tabs to resemble a photo album, while photographic rectangles appear cut out and inserted into the pastel drawings, continuing the drawn lines and creating the effect of binoculars focusing on an image and sharpening it. A note from the author, one-page glossary and one page of farming websites make this purposeful and suited to a unit on rural life. A more anecdotal telling would have tilled the ground better to tie in and germinate with the inventive art style. (Picture book/biography. 6-8)