The Ruth Adventures: Life on the Farm

By: Nancy Youngdahl
Illustrated by: Diana Delosh
Publisher: Mascot Books
Publication Date: July 2020
ISBN: 978-1645431053
Reviewed by: Holly Connors
Review Date: May 13, 2021

Meet Ruth, a six-year-old girl who lives on a farm in North Carolina. She's sweet, adorable, and works very hard to help take care of the animals on the farm. And most importantly, she's loved by her entire family.

Life on the Farm follows Ruth as she goes about her day on her parents' farm. She lives with her mama, daddy and big brother, Samuel. Ruth shares with the reader all the fun, and important, things she gets to do every day. She adores her daddy and the two spend lots of time together. Ruth explains that they are "...the best of friends," and when she grows up she wants to marry someone "...just like my daddy!"

Ruth enjoys watching her big brother Samuel as he does his chores. He has to clean out the horse stalls and then put fresh straw down for the horses. Ruth is too small to take care of the horse stalls but she hopes to one day help with cleaning the barn. What Ruth can do is feed all the animals and there are a lot! She feeds the chickens, rabbits, ducks, horses, dogs, and cats.

At night, Ruth's mother reads to her and teaches Ruth how to say her prayers. Ruth also learns that "...my other Father, God, loves me even more than they do!" The reader comes away with a clear understanding that Ruth is happy and that she feels secure and loved.

Life on the Farm is a sweet story about a little girl and her adventures on a farm. There are "mini" adventures throughout the story, such as the time Ruth's stuffed bunny, Harry, took a mud bath. There's also an episode where Ruth learns an important lesson. Ruth and Ralph, the farm's old donkey, had a misunderstanding that didn't end well. With a strong Christian message of love and forgiveness throughout the story, Ruth realizes that what Ralph did wasn't really his fault. Ruth makes the difficult decision to tell her daddy what happened, and that it might have actually been her fault. It's a hard lesson, but one that shows the love of the Father. There are also little tidbits of what farm life is really like, such as Ruth explaining the reason the farm has so many cats. Overall, Life on the Farm is a charming, enjoyable story with a Christian message that is so needed in today's world.

Quill says: Get ready to meet an adorable little girl who will wiggle her way into your child's heart and have them asking "when can we move to a farm?"