Review by Booklist Review
At dawn, the farmer and her crew get to work: the combine, "grumbling and growling," is started up as a team of adults and children gather. Lilting, rhyming text explains the specifics of harvest work, including identifying the parts of a combine--such as the spreader and the auger--and the process of drying and storing corn for storage. Vocabulary terms like chaff are smoothly woven into thoughtful descriptions of farming's sensory experiences, such as cornhead chains that "grab and gobble the autumn-dry stalks" and "billows of steamy, roast-corn-scented cloud." Cut-paper-style illustrations add depth and scale to the descriptions of farm life. As the sun sets, birds take flight as barn cats scatter, and the farm family settles in for a quiet night. Back matter gives details about corn varieties and uses, farmers, farm machinery, and the business of farming. Readers interested in farm life will be especially intrigued, of course, but the lyrical text makes this an inviting and enlightening read-aloud even for those who have not yet given much thought to where corn comes from.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The sun is up, and it's time for a farmer, portrayed with brown skin, to harvest her fields of corn. Along with her team, her trusted partner is a combine, "enormous and red./ Grumbling and growling,/ it creeps from the shed," writes Esbaum (Bird Girl). After "chains grab and gobble the autumn-dry stalks," the machine spits out the chaff and deposits "golden, glorious heaps" of corn (depicted in a luscious close-up that resembles a cross between honeycomb and a treasure chest's contents) into an adjacent grain truck. They're then dried in a machine that emits "billows of steamy, roast-corn-scented cloud" before the day draws to a close and everyone gathers for a big meal. Crisp, textural images by Crowton (In Our Garden) bring a hand-painted, toylike feel to scenes that steadily depict hard work. There's something here for every reader: savory language in smartly scanning rhymes, detailed scenes of farm life, and a step-by-step tribute to the machines and processes that make the harvest possible. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. A note about life on a corn farm concludes. Ages 4--8. Author's agent: Tricia Lawrence, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator's agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (July)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2--Readers tumble into a day-long journey at the farm, beginning at dawn and following the farmer as she drives the corn combine, and then following the corn as it whooshes into the massive grain dryer. The flap text overtly emphasizes the combine, but the book focuses on farming more than the truck featured on the cover. Text rhymes nicely and the rhythm moves along at a good clip with only a few syllabic hiccups, making this a pleasant read-aloud. Most stanzas begin with the repeated phrase "this is," for a soothing refrain. Color artwork employs a variety of perspectives during the harvesting day. Seeing the combine harvest corn from a bird's-eye view is especially striking. Accompanying the farmer, who has tan skin and long black hair, from dawn to dusk showcases Crowton's talent with lighting. While not collage, the artwork has the sturdy squareness of Eric Carle's animals blended with the soft faces of Raymond Briggs's human characters. Back matter includes more information about the many uses of corn and answers frequently asked questions about this life, such as, "Can a farmer be a woman?" Yes. VERDICT A solid choice for any collection and a fun story hour selection to boot.--Chance Lee Joyner
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Review by Horn Book Review
"This is the farmer, her cap, and her gloves. This is the farm, land that she loves." Before the sun rises, a farmer gets the combine from the shed, gathers tools for the day, and begins the task at hand: picking corn (which an endnote clarifies is not the sweet corn we eat). Patterned text introduces readers to the parts of the combine and other elements of the corn-picking process. First the "autumn-dry stalks" shuttle through the cornhead and into the grain tank, while the spreader scatters chaff being "spit out the back." The corn then moves from the combine to a grain wagon, transporting the kernels to the dryer, which sends out a "steamy, roast-corn-scented cloud." Esbaum's well-crafted rhyme carries the corn from field to bin with every accompanying sight, sound, and smell. Crowton's warm, inviting illustrations in an autumnal palette help both to convey the information and to humanize the work. Back matter with interspersed spot art provides additional information about the process of harvesting this late-season crop and the many ways it is used; further reading and related websites are also appended. An informative and playful ode to agriculture. Grace McKinney BeermannSeptember/October 2025 p.83 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A rhyming introduction to an essential but often-invisible agricultural process. Dawn is breaking, and a denim-clad, brown-skinned farmer greets the day, her long hair unsecured and her trusty dog at her heels; corn-harvesting season has arrived, and it's time for the work to begin. The hours ahead bustle with activity, and from sunup to sundown, the cornfields, managed by a diverse team of folks, undergo transformative change: Stalks are felled, chaff is discarded, and kernels are processed in a puff of fragrant steam. Many of these tasks may be unfamiliar to uninitiated readers, but when dusk falls and workers convene cozily around the farmer's dinner table, we retreat to a homey environment recognizable to most. The book's final spread underscores what's been heavily hinted throughout: Nothing can be accomplished without community. Though readers won't need technical knowledge to appreciate the complexity of work involved in industrial farming, tools and machinery are labeled when introduced, and clearly illustrated visuals make the titular harvesting process legible for novices. The tightness of Esbaum's onomatopoetic rhyme makes potentially unfamiliar terminology accessible, while Crowton's lovely and detailed illustrative art invites immersion--her grounded palette and innovative use of perspective and shadow permeate the story, evoking autumn's crisp temperatures and wood-smoky smells. And for those with lingering questions, extensive backmatter provides additional explanation. An informative joy. (websites, further reading)(Picture book. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
