12 Engaging Farm Books for Kids
Inside: this list of farm books for kids from preschool to first grade includes helpful descriptions and a variety of storylines and topics.
Books about farms have been a popular children’s book theme for a long time – and for good reason!
Have you ever noticed how kids are immediately drawn to stories about farms and nature? Young children love to learn about the world around them. Of course, this makes books about farms and nature an ideal place to start to build their literacy skills.
So, these 12 engaging farm books for kids will tap into their natural curiosity, making them a perfect starting place for young readers.
Farm Books for Kids
I’ve searched through a wide variety of titles to put together this helpful list for you. Some of the titles will be old favorites and others will be newer releases. I’ve looked for a mix of fiction and non-fiction as well, and I selected books with the most engaging stories and artwork to really draw in even the youngest readers!
This list is organized with books according to age range, beginning with preschoolers first.
(Disclosure: Books and Giggles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.)
Farm Books for Preschool
The following books will develop the reading comprehension skills of the earliest readers, helping them make predictions and connections. In addition, they will also be able to think through tricky social situations, learn about the value of farms, and see how seasons affect life on the farm.
Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s Farm by Joy Cowley
Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s Farm is a classic farm book for preschoolers! The animals leave the farm to avoid a good scrubbing and find their way all over town. It’s a funny story your kids will love and it’s great for making predictions about what they think will happen next!
(Also, in my store you’ll find a printable story sequencing hat that goes along with this book)
Sleep Tight Farm: A Farm Prepares for Winter by Eugenie Doyle
This is a beautiful book with highly detailed graphics showing how a farm gets ready for the winter. Moreover, children will love scanning the pictures for strawberries in the field or noticing the winter weather on its way from the kitchen window. This is an excellent book to spark a discussion about the seasons!
Tractor Mac Farmers’ Market by Billy Steers
Tractor Mac is the main character in a collection of books targeted at preschool to kindergarten students. Each of the books features Tractor Mac solving problems all over the farm. In Tractor Mac Farmers’ Market, children will learn about the types of foods that are healthy as they follow Tractor Mac around the farm.
Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington
What a perfect book to celebrate the apple harvest! Apple Farmer Annie uses her harvest in so many different ways: selling at farmers’ markets, pressing for cider, baking cakes, and more. Children will love looking at the details in the pictures, making connections, and asking questions. Naturally, this would be a wonderful read before or after visiting an apple orchard!
Related: 50 Apple Crafts and Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten
Farm Books for Kindergarten
Although kindergarteners will also love the preschool titles, the next 4 books will stretch their thinking even more. Kindergarteners will love digging deep into eye-opening non-fiction about where food comes from. Best of all, kindergarteners are ready for meaningful conversations about how to treat others and how important it is to be our own unique selves!
Right This Very Minute by Lisl Detlefsen
In this farm-to-table book, children will make the connection that any food on the plate starts at the farm. Just as importantly, this story is told with bright, vivid pictures and diverse representation. Your readers will ask so many questions about where food comes from!
Ragweed’s Farm Dog Handbook by Anne Kennedy
Ragweed’s Farm Dog Handbook is such a sweet, funny book written from the perspective of the dog teaching you (another dog) how to be a farm dog! It’s a great choice to help students start thinking about narrators. Plus, kids will feel immediately drawn in thinking about how silly it would be to be a farm dog and all of the choices they would need to make.
Little Blue Truck by Alice Shertle
The Little Blue Truck gets stuck in the mud, and he needs his farm animal friends to help! There’s a great lesson in here about treating others how you want to be treated. Plus, as one of nine books by the author, this is a series that emerging readers will want to read and reread!
Perfectly Poppy by Tricia Stone-Shumaker
Poppy the chicken was born with a deformed beak. The other chickens make fun of her for being different. Fortunately, her friend takes her on a journey to learn that whatever makes you different, makes you you! This is a great choice for teachers trying to build a culture of inclusion in your classroom or for parents who want to remind their children to hold onto their uniqueness!
Farm Books for First Grade
To find the most engaging farm books for first graders, I looked for authors and texts that would really capture their attention. Since students are developing more reading independence at this age, the best fiction texts inspire students to read, reread, and act out their favorite stories.
Plus, when first graders study the life cycles of plants and animals, the non-fiction offerings here will spark great conversations about where food comes from and the role of seasons.
Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
The first of a long series of hilarious books, Click Clack Moo is an easy classic. The farm animals find a typewriter and start penning letters to the farmer about their demands. Kids love the repetition in the storytelling.
The Cow Said Neigh by Rory Feek
Imagine a farm where all of the animals wanted to be a different type of animal! It would be absolute chaos and that’s exactly what happens. This is a wonderful story with a great flow. Surely, kids will want to read and re-read this book, imitating all the different animal sounds and reading the text in different voices!
Farming by Gail Gibbons
Gibbons is well-loved for her amazing non-fiction texts for kids. She always combines detailed imagery and models with informative text that leaves young readers making connections and asking questions. First published in 1988, this book was updated in 2019 to show changes in farm procedures and equipment, ensuring this book will last.
A Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice & Martin Provensen
This book is so perfect for first grade! It’s all about a year on a farm, breaking down what each month looks like. In addition, readers take a walk across the farm with the farmer who takes a moment to point out what’s going on with the plants, insects, and animals. Moreover, it would be wonderful to use this story to start talking about the seasons.
Related: 12+ Engaging Books about the Months of the Year
Fun Farm Activities for Kids
Finally, there are so many great ways for students to connect their knowledge or interest in farming and nature in the classroom. From songs and crafts to sensory play and STEM activities, help children reflect and build on their learning.
My post 35 Fun Farm Activities for the Classroom will help you find the exact resource you’re looking for.
Did you find any new books to try on this list? Did I share any of your favorites? Let me know about them!