A Farm of Her Own

A Farm of Her Own, by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, illustrated by Kathleen Kolb, published by Dutton Children’s Books in New York, 28 pages, hardcover, $15.99

 reviewed by Jennifer Hersey

 Children who have never picked berries, who have never smelled fresh bread baking, who have never turned their feet green running through fresh mown grass, will appreciate Natalie Kinsey-Warnock’s newest book, A Farm of Her Own.  And those children who have experienced all those things will love this book for the sheer joy of the story and vibrancy of the illustrations by Kathleen Kolb.

Both artists are local folks; Ms. Kinsey-Warnock lives in Glover and Ms. Kolb in Greensboro.  Throughout the book readers get glimpses of life in Barton and Glover, making it an especially nice read for those of us who live here. 

This book is obviously quite special to Ms. Kinsey-Warnock, as it is all about her great-uncle and -aunt, the late Will and Ada Drew Urie of Glover.  In the introduction she talks about the farm her aunt and uncle ran, without even a tractor, for 60 years.  She dedicated the book to them.

The story is about Emma, a little girl who lives in Barton and goes to stay with her great-aunt and -uncle at Sunnyside Farm for one summer.  She learns about the amount of work that goes in to making a farm functional, but also about the amount of fun that goes with farm life — from roses to bullfrogs to spending time with cousins.

She learns to care for animals and falls in love with an old horse named Jack.  When she isn’t busy farming, Aunt Ada tells Emma stories about the past, stories of the family’s history.

Emma loves her summer on the farm and reflects on it when back in her parent’s apartment in Barton in the fall. 

After Ada and Will die, Emma becomes sad about the deterioration of Sunnyside Farm and buys it so she and her family can revel in the loveliness of what Uncle Will and Aunt Ada started long ago.

Accompanying a wonderful story are rich, textured illustrations of children, berries, scenic vistas, fuzzy animals, and even downtown Barton.  All of Ms. Kolb’s illustrations are saturated in color.  Freshly sliced bread with steam streaming out, peas newly naked and exposed out of their shells, and raised doughnuts resting on a plate look good enough to eat.

Children’s faces bathed in sunlight, delighted to be alive, hair windblown and cheeks rosy, lend a sense of life to the story while fields of wildflowers and moonlit skies make me think of home and fill me with a sense of comfort.

Ms. Kinsey-Warnock and Ms. Kolb have created a truly magical piece of art.  If you ever just want to feel the mystical wonderment of childhood and newness again, pick up this book.

On Saturday, May 26, at 2 p.m., Ms. Kinsey-Warnock will hold a book signing at Marketplace Vintage Books, located above Pierce Marketplace in Barton.