Tractors joined the John Deere lineup just as America was plowing into the 1900s. Soon John Deere two-cylinder tractors flexed their mechanical muscles and began working America’s heartland into the world’s breadbasket. Now these legacies of farming’s heydays attract attention worldwide, from big-buck collectors to practical farmers, and from serious historians to curious city kids. They can’t resist the rich story of the big green workhorse machines.
Note: This edition is now in its second printing! John Deere features revised text for ages 10 and up, based on the first edition published in 2003 by MBI Publishing Company, St. Paul, MN. Original © Rod Beemer, 2003.
MBI Publishing Company, © 2006.
Used with permission.
Reviews
“In their debut series for young people, the go-to publishers for automotive enthusiasts gets it right. These lavishly illustrated single-subject books ... will be hot commodities with younger kids as well as car-obsessed teens.”
Booklist
“Clearly designed with the teen male in mind, these books will be good resources for teen boys doing research on the vehicles examined. The text is informative and easy to read … The eye candy quotient is high here. Overall the books from this series would be a worthwhile addition to a library’s collection, especially if it is short in interesting nonfiction for young boys.”
VOYA
“…[The] 'Drive. Ride. Fly.' series [of four books] offers enthusiasts both young and older some color, simple overviews which are visually powerful and striking achievements. These are directed to younger readers but are reviewed here because larger type and bright, color photos blending with facts makes them a special pick for adults who want a review of models and styles without the complexity of weighty tomes on the topic…
Rod Beemer works with Tracy Nelson Maurer on JOHN DEERE (0760323259), a fine feature of over a hundred years of tractor developments. From the early series to today's John Deeres, design innovations and many changes are covered in a set of visual displays and reference insights which even include tractor codes. All [four books] are wonderful picks and should reach well beyond the advanced elementary to middle school grades you'd think of at first glance. No adult transportation fan should miss these.”
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com
June 2006
“…This book would be a wonderful book for young farm children or for people who live in the city and have no understanding at all. The book will educate you and give you a history lesson of how this machine helped fuel the farming revolution in this country and the world.
Classic photos of these grand machines are throughout the book. My grandson enjoyed looking at the photos while I found that the text provided a history lesson of sorts. This book would appeal to collectors and history buffs who focus on farming. It has very valuable information on the different models and makes.
The book would make a great gift to anyone you know who has or does live and work on a farm. It would also make a fine book for small children (If their grandparents read to them) as they look at the photos; however it is junior high and high school boys who will be the most interested in this book’s subject matter.
The book is family friendly and well written. The text is easy to read and there is a glossary in the back of the book. It merits putting this book on your gift list for those special young men in your life.”
Bill McDonald
President of the Military Writers Society of America
http://www.militarywriters.com/review-John%20Deere.htm
June 2006 |
