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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Book Review - Christmas on the Farm

About the Book 
Built in 1877, Bob Artley’s family farm in Hampton, Iowa, was without indoor plumbing and was heated by a wood- and coal-burning stove. The prevailing atmosphere was love and security, especially during the holiday season. It created a magical childhood that Artley wishes every child could have had the opportunity to experience. This sharing of his memories is an endeavor to make that wish come true.

From the perilous tobogganing sessions to the gleeful receipt of mail-order catalogs for the notations of coveted Christmas gifts, Artley depicts a rural Christmas rife with the simple activities that often go unnoticed. In loving detail, Artley describes the homemade, often impractical, gifts that he and his siblings created for their parents, which were accepted with gratefulness nevertheless. He remembers the “popcorn evenings” his family shared on those cold winter nights and the sumptuous, delightful meals that marked the return of a Yuletide season complete with a personally selected and cut Christmas tree. An Artley family Christmas emphasizes the joys of family and friends over the excess of material wants and needs.

Find out more about the Book - http://pelicanpub.com/proddetail.php?prod=1589801083#.T-wsqLXY870

About the Author 
Bob Artley was born on his family’s farm, established by his grandfather, in 1917. He began drawing as a boy, receiving extensive encouragement from the Des Moines Register and Tribune’s great cartoonist Ding Darling. Drafted in the U.S. Army in 1941, Artley met and married Ginny, a WAC technician who shared the joy of raising four children with him. His career as an editorial cartoonist began at the Des Moines Register and continued at the Worthington (Minn.) Daily Globe, where he developed his syndicated cartoon series Memories of a Former Kid. He is the author of ten books, among them Living with Pigs and Once Upon a Farm, both published by Pelican.

My Take on the Book
As someone who have great grandparents who lived on the farm, I have vague remembrances of their home around the holidays, but alas, I did not spend much time there. This book paints a beautiful picture of the holidays on the farm in all of its glory. I have started to read this with my kids now and have been tying in my own memories of farm life as well as they have never know any family member who has lived on the farm unfortunately. This book changes that and affords them the opportunity to dream and imagine a simpler life unlike their own!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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