Toy Farmer - Hardcover

Andrew T. Pelletier lives in the Hudson Valley in New York State.

Scott Nash, who illustrated the new editions of the Flat Stanley books, lives in Maine.

Prowling through the attic, Jed discovers an old toy that had belonged to his father—a red tractor driven by a little farmer. Magically, the rug by his bed turns into a dirt field and day after day, the farmer converses with Jed while tending his solitary crop—an amazing, mechanical-looking vine that eventually yields an enormous pumpkin. They haul it to the toys' county fair, where the judges award Jed a Grand Champion ribbon identical to the one his father had received as a boy. Nash creates interesting effects digitally in the artwork by drawing Jed and his world in strokes of softly shaded colors and creating the fantasy elements, such as the farmer and the many toys-come-to-life, by using sharply defined edges and flatter colors. Fine for reading aloud, this well-imagined story features distinctive illustrations and, for once, a farm-inspired theme that isn't centered on barnyard animals. Phelan, Carolyn