ADDING another book to her already impressive collection, Tracey Kruger launched ‘The Farmer Twins’ at Sheepvention on Sunday - a chapter book aimed at primary school children about twins living on a farm in the Western District.
‘The Farmer Twins’ is the first chapter book in the junior novel series and tells the story of Charlie and Daisy who are turning nine years old and want motorbikes for their birthday, but are told by their parents they can have motorbikes for their 10th birthday if they manage to earn the money themselves.
Set in the Western District, readers accompany ‘The Farmer Twins’ on their adventures to earn money while also learning about what it is like to live on a farm, how to care for different animals, and what changes take place each season, coming across some familiar local identities along the way.
Ms Kruger said the book could be enjoyed by all children, with those growing up in a farming background able to relate to the story, while those who have not can gain insights into the workings of a farm.
“It’s probably designed so that farming children get to read about things that interest them, but it’s also designed so that children who aren’t on farms are going to learn something about the whole farm process (and) how farming works,” she said.
“The more kids who read books the cleverer they’re going to be, and if they read them about farming, they’ll even be well educated.”
Ms Kruger, who is well known locally for her books and photography skills, said she stepped out of her comfort zone to create this junior novel series, as her previous books have all been picture books containing “real photos”.
“The Farmer Twins is my first book that has chapters and it’s the first one that is a fully made-up story,” she said.
“It’s the start of the series and there will be two more due out in time for Christmas.”
Aimed at children aged 8-12 years old, Ms Kruger said the book was made to fill a gap in the market and to encourage more children to read.
“There are plenty of books around, like picture books about farming, but there aren’t all that many with chapters,” she said.
“And trying to develop reading for children aged 7-12 who are really interested about farming when they can’t get any books, is really quite tricky.
“It’s very difficult to get boys reading, especially when they’re not interested in the subject matter.”
The book was available for purchase at Ms Kruger’s stall in the Home Paddock across all three days of Sheepvention, and she said the feedback from the public had been resoundingly positive.
“We’ve had a lot of people asking about ‘The Farmer Twins’ and buying (a copy),” she said.
“It’s been selling really well here at Sheepvention … then it’s going out into a lot of shops.
“People who have read it already are loving it.
“They are loving that it’s been written for that age group because there’s not enough books about farming targeted at that age.”
