The Ghost of Donley Farm

Physical & Behavioral Adaptation

by Jaime Gardner Johnson, Laurie Allen Klein (Illustrations)

Rebecca, the red-tailed hawk, is not afraid of ghosts! One night, she bravely ventures into the barn to meet the famous ghost of Donley Farm. But when she finally meets him, Rebecca is surprised to discover that this “ghost” is much more familiar than she’d expected.  Join Rebecca as she stays up late to talk with her new friend and find out what they have in common and how they are different.

Genres: Spanish Literature, Picture Books, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2014

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book about a nontraditional farm animals, hawks and owls. Nocturnal and diurnal are taught in this story of raptors. The story is an exciting read and has neat factual charts in last pages.

teaching application-Vocabulary words galore to use with the kids. The charts in back are full of teaching opportunities. Arbordalepublishing.com. has more ideas to use also.

[Edith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute book! I got it for my little brothers at the library, and they loved it. Accurate animal facts combined with adorable illustrations and a cute plotline make it the perfect book for bird-loving kids!

[Mantidfly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good bird biology except for the mistake that owls can't see well during the day. Owls can see fine during the day.

[ACS Book-finder · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first opened the book and saw the amount of text on the pages of this picture book, I thought it was going to be a loser. However, as I read through the story I realized that it flowed beautifully and with grace to tell the story of the Red Hawk raptor comparing himself to the Barn Owl.


There is a nice story here that presents a variety of learning opportunities. Overcoming fear of the unknown. Comparing oneself to others in a favorable light. Understanding the differences in physical attributes of each of these raptors and what makes them particularly suited for either day or night.

I found the story a delightful read and believe it suitable as a read aloud for the young child or early elementary, or even for the middle elementary grade child to read to themselves. As the reader peruses the pages, one can find a variety of critters for which the raptors would be looking. Well done illustrations that convey the spirit of the story.

As with other books in this series, in the back of the book there are four pages of learning activities focused on raptors and free online activities that further enhance the reader's experience.

DISCLOSURE: A complimentary copy was provided by Arbordale Publishing to facilitate this review. Opinions expressed are those of the reviewer. No compensation was received for this review.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rebecca is a red-tailed hawk that enjoys surveying the land that she can see from her perch. She's heard tales about a ghost that leaves in the barn on Donley Farm, and one night she decides to see for herself what the ghost is like. It turns out the ghost is a barn owl named Bernard. After chatting briefly, both realize that they have similarities but also important differences that allow them to hunt for food at different times and survive. There are useful bits of additional information as part of the book's back matter.