The Midnight Farm

by Reeve Lindbergh, Susan Jeffers (Illustrator)

Secrets of the dark are revealed in this poem describing a farm at midnight.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Poetry, Animals, Counting

32 pages, Library Binding

First published September 30, 1987

About the author

Children's author, novelist, and poet Reeve Lindbergh is the daughter of world-renowned aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife, the talented writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight]

I didn’t realize that Reeve is the daughter of the famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh.

I enjoyed the prose to this calming bedtime story. A mother takes her child around the farm, introducing the various animals as they prepare for the night. Beautiful illustrations accompany the story making it a win for bedtime.

Ages: 2 - 6

Here’s a few of our bedtime favs: watch my reel!

Content Considerations: nothing to note.

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[Susan]

Poor Reeve Lindbergh. She was doing a breakfast author reading a long while back at an Inn in Norwalk, Ct and was signing books afterwards. Everyone had these nice fresh copies of a variety of her books. I had this one, a hardcover with a mangled spine where the dog chewed it, worn down, taped up pages, book jacket long gone. She was very gracious about signing it to my children as I explained it was one of their favorite books...

[Lorellie]

Tot and I were both enthralled by the charming verse and the lovely art. We will read this one many more times.

[Kathryn]

A mother takes her young son around their farm at night in this gentle counting book. (I took it as maybe he was having trouble sleeping? But seeing the familiar farm sites and animals under the moonlight helped him feel better/less afraid.) The rhymes are quite uneven but the story itself is so sweet and such a lovely idea I was forgiving and Jeffers' lovely illustrations really do make this worth checking out. My favorite is the mother snuggling her son on an old stone wall while looking out across the meadow and the starry sky. Beautiful!

[J9]

We got a themed box of books from the library about Farms and this was one of the books. Really enjoyed the illustrations in this one. Big beautiful pictures with soft colors and lots of detail, it was a book both my 5 yr old and twin 3 yr olds could get into. I myself enjoyed the rhyming and unusual rhythm of the prose so that it ended up being a book the whole family appreciated.

[Julia]

I love this book. The poem is quiet and calm, and the illustrations are beautiful. I love Susan Jeffers.

[Jen Goeden]

The story The Midnight Farm is about what a young child and her mother see in the dark around the farm.

The book The Midnight Farm that I read is a paperback but has characteristic like a hardcover. Right when you open the book there is a cover page. The only thing on the cover page is the title, no author or anything else. Next are two full pages of just pictures. After this page there is another title page, which has the title author name, and a picture. The picture is of a farm during the day. At end of the book there is the same picture of the farm but now it is night time in the picture. The every last page in the book tells a little bit about the author and the illustrator. On each pager there is a border that goes all the way around the page. The text is in the same spot on each page, which is on the bottom of the pages. As you go throw the story each picture gets a little more and more dark. This helps you get in the mood of the story.

[Taylor]

This book was read for Wesley’s summer reading club. Wesley is my (soon to be five year old) son. This review is what we used for his reading club.
***

I remember this book from when I was younger. Wesley really enjoyed the book too.



***
I think I enjoyed the book now that I am older - I paid more attention to the beautiful artwork this time as opposed to when I was younger.

[Debra]

This book reads like a poem
helps calm "dark" fears
very beautiful "paintings" in this book
farms and farm animals
my copy is autographed by the illustrator, Susan Jeffers
Nice read aloud for pre-k and K students

[Laurie Rockenbeck]

This one of those great bedtime story books. Both my kids loved it for months on end.

[Janice]

This may be a great way to help children with "being afraid of the dark", problems.

[Carl Williams]

A most awesome children's book

[Fiona Endsley]

This was a sweet book! Great for assuring small children that the world is the same in the dark as in day light:)

[Lynna]

I adore this book! The illistration are incredible! This is a great book to read to kids who are afraid of the dark! You along with your child can find beauty in the night!

[Amy]

Reading Rainbow: Barn Dance

[Peacegal]

Quiet bedtime book set on an old-fashioned farm. The rhymes were a bit stilted.

[Starr Elementary]

This was a very nice counting book. It would be a great bedtime book to calm and settle down with.

[CFAITC]

Secrets of the dark are revealed in this poem describing a farm at midnight.

[Julie Biles]

Beautifully written!

[Shannon]

Absolutely love this book. My mum used to read this to me when I was younger. Will definitely be reading it to my children and It will be passed down the line.

[MaryJane]

A very subtle counting book, as well as a good bedtime storybook.

[SKP]

My husband and I are kind of into reading about the Lindbergh Kidnapping lately, and when I discovered that Reeve Lindbergh is a daughter of Charles and Anne Morris, and that she has written children’s books, I made it a point to get as many as I could. As a retired children’s librarian, I’d apparently read several of her books before without making the Lindbergh connection. Many of them are now out of print, but I got as many as I could via my public library and Amazon marketplace.

This is one of two books she wrote with the magnificent Susan Jeffers illustrating. (The other was BENJMIN’S BARN). Beautiful poem—could easily be sung! Gorgeous illustrations! I wish these wouldn’t go out of print—ever!

[Sasha]

This came highly recommended on Jenny Miller's Substack, and I was a bit dubious until Jeffers' last page - a phantasmagoria of bedroom and farmyard, complete with flowers, a smiling mother, and the easy days and nights of childhood. That spread alone is enough to bump my rating from a 2 to a 4. The rhyme is gentle and lilting, and the counting from 1-10 feels like something out of Super Simple Songs. This is sweet, but I think it would appeal more to country folk and those raised on farmland, like my MIL.

[Lucy Coleman]

The Illustrations for this book are gorgeous but to me it just doesn't scan well when read aloud.

[Joanna]

The pictures are gorgeous, but I didn't like reading it aloud because the pages with near-rhymes drove me crazy.

[Andréa]

I wouldn't be able to use this one as a read-aloud since Lindbergh "rhymes" several words that, for me, don't rhyme, which would make it difficulty storytime reading.

[Dawn]

This is a great kids counting book.

[Lisa Grady]

Love this book. It's one of our family favorite "going to bed" stories. The illustrations are so beautiful and evoke a felling of peace and calm. It lulls the child to sleep w it's rhythmic words and chorus. They are all in their 30s now and still remember this book. It's one they say they will pass down to their own children.