The team behind George the Farmer have launched the fifth children’s picture book in the series -George the Farmer Harvest Hiccup’, about a broad bean harvest.
The latest story written by Simone Kain and illustrated by Ben Hood educates children about the nutritional benefits of pulses, such as beans, as well as the environmental benefits from the release of nitrogen into the soil as the crop grows.
But, of course, like with all of the George the Farmer stories, it wouldn’t be complete without a bit of a hiccup!
The blurb reads, 'When Ruby smells smoke while George and Jack are harvesting, hopes of a successful broad bean crop harvest are almost extinguished. Join the Farmer family in this pulsating tale of life on the land.’
“There a lot of hotted-up action in this one — with Dr Ruby in the paddock fighting fires — and some warm, smelly breezes wafting through the header cab... thanks to George the Farmer or Jessie the Kelpie? Lots of kids right across Australia will be finding out very soon!” Ms Kain said.
Profits from the sale of each George the Farmer book are reinvested into creating and providing free supplementary agriculturally-focused educational resources with a focus on STEAM subjects.
More than 3000 resources have been downloaded in the past six months alone, contributing to the agricultural education of over 40,000 children nationally.
“We think this book is going to be our most popular yet. The kids love a bit of drama and they love seeing machinery in action,” Mr Hood said.
George the Farmer’s aim is to inspire children, while also teaching them about farming practices along with where their food and fibre comes from through quintessentially Australian stories, songs, apps, teachers guides, videos and performances right across the country.
“I’m not sure how many kilometres we’ve travelled across Australia entertaining kids, but one thing is for sure, George’s popularity is certainly not waning. We’re looking forward to an even bigger 2019 with some really exciting developments that are currently taking place,” Ms Kain said.
