Farm Tractors on the Move

By: Kristin L. Nelson
Publisher: Lerner Classroom 
Publication Date: January 2011
ISBN: 978-0761371113
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: April 2011

Tractors have “big, bumpy tires” that help them drive across all kinds of land “without slipping.” The large tractors that you see when you go by a farm have many different kinds of jobs. You can often see a farmer working out in his fields with them. A tractor is made up of many different parts. A boy who you can see in this book smiles as he sits on the seat of an old tractor as his grandfather shows him “how [the] tractor’s steering wheel works. You can also take a look at a cab which has “windows on the front and on each side.” The tractor also has headlights and a hitch to pull many different kinds of machines needed to work on the farm.

It’s lots of fun to learn about how a farmer uses his tractor to plant his crops. First he uses a plow to turn over the dirt and once that is done he hitches up a harrow. The harrow’s “round blades cut through the lumps.” It will amaze you when you see how a seed drill works to poke holes in the soil and then drop “seeds into the holes” and cover them. You’ll also get a chance to see how the farmer harvests his crops using his tractor and other types of machinery. You can see corn, string beans, and hay being harvested and you’ll be able to see someone packing string beans in the field. Tractors can do many other jobs. Can you think of any?

Many children go to farms on school trips, but seldom get to see how a tractor works except when they ride on a trailer in back of one. This one provides a lot of very interesting information for the beginning reader. Children often see tractors working from a distance, but the vibrant photographs show how they work close up. For example, when we see a tractor working with a seed drill there is a caption pointing to the drill. It says, “Seed drills help farmers plant crops.” This is one book of many in the “Vroom –Vroom” series that explores “mighty machines.” In the back of the book is an index, a glossary, a diagram of a farm tractor, some fun facts, and additional recommended book and website resources to explore.

Quill says: This is a fun and fascinating overview of the farm tractor for the young reader.