Hooray for Dairy Farming! (Hooray for Farming!)

Rating:
Summary: a farmer of 30+ years thought it was realistic
Review: I have never written a review to Amazon.com although I buy many of my childrens' books here. I grew up on a dairy farm, left a dairy farm and now work in a university setting studying rural education. At the same time, I desperately want my children to understand how a dairy farm as a "business" works - minus hormones thank you. My father is a steadfast dairy farmer of 30+ years enduring hard times and the lowest milk prices in 20 years as I write this review. When he read this book as the first "children's" book that he has read since I was perhaps five, he thought it was "realistic" and "authentic" and no he doesn't use hormones nor does he neglect to explain to my six year old daughter how important it is to care for the animals (in terms of diet or otherwise) that provide his livlihood. I resent the angry - flippant and frankly uninformed response of the other reviewers. While there may be issues that this book does not address, it made an honest attempt to portray the industry minus the politics that the other reviewers felt compelled to highlight. We have so many books for children focused on middle class and often urban or suburban professions. I was encouraged, relieved and sadly grateful that someone focused on my childhood for once. I logged into this site to buy this book for an Even Start program that serves a predominately rural, agrarian population. I consider myself an informed buyer and felt confident buying this book for children who seldom see "their existence" represented elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: a farmer of 30+ years thought it was realistic
Review: I have never written a review to Amazon.com although I buy many of my childrens' books here. I grew up on a dairy farm, left a dairy farm and now work in a university setting studying rural education. At the same time, I desperately want my children to understand how a dairy farm as a "business" works - minus hormones thank you. My father is a steadfast dairy farmer of 30+ years enduring hard times and the lowest milk prices in 20 years as I write this review. When he read this book as the first "children's" book that he has read since I was perhaps five, he thought it was "realistic" and "authentic" and no he doesn't use hormones nor does he neglect to explain to my six year old daughter how important it is to care for the animals (in terms of diet or otherwise) that provide his livlihood. I resent the angry - flippant and frankly uninformed response of the other reviewers. While there may be issues that this book does not address, it made an honest attempt to portray the industry minus the politics that the other reviewers felt compelled to highlight. We have so many books for children focused on middle class and often urban or suburban professions. I was encouraged, relieved and sadly grateful that someone focused on my childhood for once. I logged into this site to buy this book for an Even Start program that serves a predominately rural, agrarian population. I consider myself an informed buyer and felt confident buying this book for children who seldom see "their existence" represented elsewhere.