Down on the Farm - Cassie Veselovsky - ★★★★

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AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Cassie Veselovsky
GENRE:Children's Picture Book, Animals.
PUBLICATION DATE: February 5, 2025
RATING: 4 stars.


In a Nutshell: A picture book about animals and the sounds they make. A cute singalong option for babies and toddlers.


This book details multiple animals found on a farm and the sounds they make. There is a lovely variety of sounds, all of which offer great options for making fun animal noises while reading. The content reminded me of ‘Old MacDonald had a Farm’, which also works on a similar idea. But as this book is aimed at teeny-weenies, it is simpler in concept and easier to sing.

Yup, ‘sing’!

Instead of presenting this book in typical prose or rhymes, the author has set the text to the tune of the popular children’s song, ‘The Wheels on the Bus.’ This book thus offers a nice singalong opportunity for parents and kiddos. Singing is such an underrated literary device! Baby songs with their repetition and rhythm can help tremendously in developing memory, language, and motor skills, not to forget an enhanced sense of rhythmic beats. Such a book is thus a great way of education as well as having fun with animal sounds.

The text doesn’t shy away from tougher words just because it is aimed at the youngest of readers. I was happy to see words like ‘pasture’ and ‘meadow’ pop up. Even if kids don’t understand what they mean, these words offer a learning opportunity.

The book ends with a few jokes and puzzles, a couple of which might be too advanced for most of the target readers, but hopefully, they will have fun with these when older.

The typeface is the only thing that I was not too happy with. Using ALL CAPS was not a big problem as little ones might find CAPS easier to read, but the shadow effect on the text was a bit distracting. (I had access only to the digital copy, so this may not be a problem in the physical book.) Plus, on a couple of the pages, the text placement felt a little cluttered against the background graphics.

The illustrations, sketched by the author herself, are adorable! What you see on the cover is exactly what you get inside, which I really appreciate. The pages are fully coloured in lovely pastels, with a variety of animals and diverse kids adding to the charm.

Definitely recommended. This indie book will work well as a learning device, a sing-together option as well as a bedtime read. Recommended age is baby to 5 years.

My thanks to author Cassie Veselovsky for providing me with a complimentary copy of “Down on the Farm”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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