Our Farm in the City

So starts a delightful picture book, Our Farm in the City that focuses on Ottawa's Central Experimental Farm, a National Historic Site dating back to 1886. Originally on the outskirts of Ottawa, thanks to urban growth, it is now close to the downtown.

The text of this nonfiction picture book consists of short lines and easy-to-read poetry that beginning readers will find easy to access. The opening pages talk about the work done on the Experimental Farm and whimsically discuss the experiments scientists do. For example, what might happen if scientists crossed lettuce with spinach? Would that make spinlet? Readers are encouraged to make up and name their own crosses. What fun!

No farm is complete without animals. Simple but colourful pictures show children from various backgrounds riding behind a team of horses and visiting the barn to see sheep, chickens, hens, and pigs. In the field, there's a special cow with brown polka dots. She's so friendly she can almost talk.

And then there are the plants. Scientists work in the fields during the summer. They see how different types of vegetables grow in the local soil and climate. The gardens are full of various flowers: Scotch thistles, daylilies, and sunflowers. Bees fly from blossom to blossom. There are more than 2,000 types of trees on the farm. They're beautiful in summer but even better in the fall when the golden leaves of the maple float and twirl and spin. That's the best time of all.

Except for winter, when snow blossoms on all the trees and ice sparkles like diamonds. Then, the farm in the city seems rich. It's such a beautiful place that the author invites everyone to come and visit.

Our Farm in the City has a place in elementary school classrooms or libraries.