Ma, I’m a Farmer
Written and Illustrated by: Michael Martchenko
Recommended for ages 4-7.
$6.95 Annick Press

The grass is always greener on the other side and for Fred, this means farming may be the answer to all of his problems. Fred is a computer operator who lives in a very large city with his cat Annie and his goldfish Jennifer. Day in and day out Fred does the same old thing. Finally he has had enough and he calls his Mother to announce that he is going to buy a farm with lots of space and he will raise animals. It doesn’t take long for Fred to realize that living in the country with a barn full of animals may not be all it is cracked up to be. The magnitude of the chores nearly puts him over the edge. One day Willy, his young neighbour, sees Fred putting up a For Sale sign. He tells Fred that it is not necessary and that he has a plan for him. Before long Fred and Willy are building all sorts of mechanized gadgets to help with the chores around the farm. Unfortunately, Fred’s expertise with computers means the gadgets are the most high-powered machines around and they quickly cut off power to the rest of the village. Will this mean the end of Fred’s farming career or will he come up with another scheme to stay put?

Michael Martchenko is best know as the illustrator for many of Robert Munsch’s books, including The Paper Bag Princess and Murmel, Murmel, Murmel.