Tag Archives: farm animals

Sep3

Back to School Blog Tour 2025 Day 3 – Book Review of “Brave Enough: Atlan and the Farm Animals”

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“Brave Enough: Atlan and the Farm Animals” by Bowe Balhoff is a charming picture book of facing fears and unknown experiences on a farm. The main character, Atlan, is a quiet 4-year-old boy based on the author’s real son. He is experiencing his first trip away from his parents by spending time on his grandparents’ farm. The kindness and love that surround the little boy start the story. The grandparents start with comforting things to calm his fears of his new surroundings. Home-made ice cream is the ticket. But of course, new experiences, such as feeding chickens and a pig, could be overwhelming for any 4-year-old. They kindly guide him through these activities.

The unique aspect of this story is that Atlan changes into an animal several times when scared, expressing how he feels in relation to meeting the other animals. First, he turns into a snail while feeding the chickens. Then, he turns into a mouse when meeting the pig, and so on. The animals he turns into embody his feelings. These are such relatable symbols for children dealing with new experiences and the real fear that goes along. When he has acknowledged his feelings for the situation, he changes back into a boy. It’s such a nice way to show this emotional change for the character. His grandmother’s voice is the catalyst for the emotional growth as she guides him into navigating his fear of the farm animals.

New experiences such as feeding chickens and a pig could be overwhelming for any 4-year-old. I loved the way that this story acknowledges those fears, and brings comfort to the character and the reader alike. Techniques to help with anxiety are shared within the story, such as slow breathing, trying to look at a new point of view, and trying to focus on the fun aspects. Granny’s protective arm, showing the support of family, is another life line for the character and reader.

Overall, this is a great story showing a young boy facing the unknown with support from his family. I would recommend this book to any parent or teacher that is trying to model how a child can face unknown challenges, navigate their complex feelings, and look to their family for support. This would be great for any class or home library. Grandparents would find this a fabulous gift to give their grandchildren, especially if they own a farm.

“Brave Enough: Atlan and the Farm Animals” is available at Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.

For more information on books by Bowe Balhoff, visit her website at: https://www.bowebalhoff.com/.

Jul19

Interview with Ronald Wayne Robinson

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Ronald's Author Page

Ronald Wayne Robinson is the author of the picture book “You’re A Dog, Chase!”.

As we head further into the summer, I found another gem to consider for your summer reading list or even for beginning of school read-alouds. Ronald Wayne Robinson has written a marvelous picture book called “You’re A Dog, Chase!”. Ronald Wayne Robinson has a background in education, psychology, and sociology. He’s won an award from the NEA for his written and produced play “Education is the Key to Life” and created board games that teach the musical history of Soul. In “You’re A Dog, Chase!”, he tells a humorous story of a dog that accidentally loses his memory, and doesn’t realize he is a dog. I had the chance to talk to Mr. Robinson about his childhood memories, favorite authors, and what future projects are in the works.

1) What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

Ronald Wayne Robinson: I can remember my third grade teacher, Ms. Bland, reading Charlotte’s Web to the class.

2) Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

Ronald Wayne Robinson: My favorite author is Sidney Sheldon. He was so intriguing with his story and it was hard to figure out how the story would end!


3) Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.

Ronald Wayne Robinson: I like to write early in the morning (3-4 AM). Everybody is sleeping and I don’t have to worry about the phone ringing or I have a task to perform.


4) What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

Ronald Wayne Robinson: I’m a Children’s Picture Book author. Children books give you a chance to be more creative in your story line. You don’t have to always follow what is suppose to happen. Sometimes you can make the impossible happen!

5) What is writing to you in one sentence?

Ronald Wayne Robinson: Writing is a way to let people know what’s going on inside of me! I’m an introvert.

You're A Dog-Talking Chickens-Picture“You’re a Dog, Chase” is the humorous story of a farm dog that loses his memory while playing Frisbee with his owner, Tyson. In his journey to figure out what he is, Chase visits with all the animals on the farm, imitating each until another accident brings his memory back. This cute story deals with the themes of responsibility while introducing children to the farm and farm animals. This would be a great read aloud for early grade teachers planning a farm unit.

*This book is also available in a Spanish Edition, “Tu Eres Un Perro, Chase!”

“You’re A Dog, Chase!” is available at Amazon.com.

For more information, you can visit Ronald Wayne Robinson’s website/page at Amazon.com.