I loved EVERYTHING about this book. It checks all of my boxes when I am looking for children's books to purchase. It is well organized, flawlessly written, has gorgeous illustrations and engages the reader.
I loved the real life photographs and the story of Farmer Tantoh. What a brilliant story that opens the eyes of the reader and encourages them to be a better version of themselves.

This book should be in every K-3 classroom and library!

The publisher made a copy of this book available on Netgalley. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my honest review.

This book explores one man's life-time dedication to improving the lives and the environment of Cameroon. It will resonate with children who often want to do something, but feel small or unempowered. Encouraging readers to help in their own or neighboring communities, finding ways to support organizations that are making changes, or taking environmental vacations (a growing trend), to help others, themselves, and the environment today.

I liked that this book was more about the environment and how our treatment of the earth affects all of us. We learn about our protagonist Tantoh who is a farmer hoping to ignite the passion he has for the wellbeing of the planet in others. Such a sweet story of resilience and learning.

I AM FARMER could be used in so many ways in schools. Farmer is an inspiration! He is the change the we all want to be!

When Tantoh was young, he visited his grandmother’s farm and tried to plant onions on his own. They shriveled and never grew, but it inspired him to learn more about all sorts of things. As a teen, his father got him his how shovel and gardening supplies even though his father was ill. Tantoh is called Farmer by his classmates and takes pride in it, even writing it on his school uniform. His brother encourages him not to be a farmer, wanting him to get a good job in an office with high scores on his exam. But Tantoh is drawn to be a farmer and deliberately fails his exams. He starts working on the land and someone pays for him to go to college and study agriculture. At college, Tantoh contracts typhoid and it takes seven years for him to fully recover. This shows him the value of clean water. He goes to the United States to study, returning to Cameroon to build gardens that will hold water in the soil and a catchment to capture spring water for a village. One project leads to another and now Farmer Tantoh has many young farmers wanting to learn from him.

This nonfiction picture book offers a close and personal look at an environmental hero who changed the face of Cameroon and brought water conservation and clean drinking water to his country. Farmer was clearly pressured as a young man not to follow his dreams of being a farmer, so this book looks at following one’s dreams and having the ability to live the life you wish to lead. The book also looks at barriers to his success such as his battle with typhoid, which also serves to speak to his strength, courage and resilience.

The illustrations in the book are done in mixed media with paper collage, paint, pen and pencil. The images range from the hills of Cameroon to images of Tantoh as a child, student and adult. The pictures are filled with bright colors, strong shapes and vibrant design.

A look at a man who changed his country by following his dream. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

There's an idea at the heart of this that transcends culture - disrespect of the farmer. We tend to see farming as dirty, ignorant work. The sort of thing a person should aspire above. But where would be be without farmers? Not only is food production absolutely vital, how many innovations have come out of efforts to improve farming. Not to mention the importance of providing our children with a wide variety of positive examples. And I like that it simply presents this man's story so the young reader can actually take away a wide range of messages.

This is a lovely biography of a man named Farmer Tantoh and his passion for helping both people and the environment. It addresses the problem of access to clean water that plagues many parts of Africa, while also telling the story of Tantoh and his passion for gardening that started when he was a small child.

Tantoh always loved the soil, and he started out by stealing some onions from his grandmother and trying to get them to grow. In school, the other kids teased him and looked down on him for his interest in horticulture, calling him "Farmer"... a nickname that stuck, especially after he started to own it and use it with pride. His brother thought he should get an office job, but that's not what Tantoh wanted to do... so he made the gusty decision to sabotage his own exam results, freeing him to do what he really loved!

The illustrations are interesting, collages done with a mixture of illustration and photography. They're very colourful and help bring to life Tantoh's gardening work.

This book is probably suitable for older children, and it would make a great addition to a classroom library. I would definitely recommend this one.

I Am Farmer tells the story of Farmer Tantoh and his humble beginnings as young, curious farmer. Though his friends do not understand his love for the soil and everything that grows, his thirst for knowledge will help many people in the future. Farmer Tantoh is an inspiration...one person can make a difference and bring a community together, too.

Children in developed countries take water and food for granted. But not in Cameroon, and other third world countries. The story of Farmer Tantoh is inspiring. He did not give up his dream, no matter what obstacles were placed in his way. And the part his grandmother played in his success as a Farmer is heartwarming, reminding the older generation that they, too, can make a difference in their grandchildren’s lives. The story relates farming as an honorable profession that feeds hungry souls and builds community. But Farmer Tontoh went further with his determination and vision, saving lives from disease and thirst. Children can see that perseverance results in dreams come true, and experience the story in bold colors and shapes in a culture foreign to their own, but at the same time realizing the children of Cameroon in many ways are just like them. The photos and author’s notes bring credence to the account, which can be used as a springboard for discussion in the classroom.

Farmer is fantastic! It's the story of Tantoh, a young boy from Cameroon, who just wants to farm. No one understands except his grandmother. His brother thinks he should be a policeman or a teacher, anything that pays more money. Tantoh rejects his advice and finds his own way to college. Then he hits another obstacle. He drinks bad water and gets Typhoid. It takes 7 years to recover. Tantoh turns this problem into a solution, bringing food and water to his village, and beyond. Read this story to discover what life is like in Cameroon and how one boy makes a difference. Farmer is fantastic!

As a child in northwest Cameroon, Tantoh Nforba discovered his love for soil, plants, and weather under his grandmother's loving guidance. Unkindly nicknamed "Farmer" by classmates, Tantoh nevertheless continued to soak up every morsel of knowledge he could from teachers and books about his beloved land and what grows there. After falling dangerously ill in college with typhoid from dirty drinking water, he committed himself to learning about clean water, and worked to teach villagers near and far about its necessity for good health and plentiful crops, as well as how to find it and get it to their villages. Tantoh also founded a nonprofit, Save Your Future Association, to gain local and international support for his efforts.

Today, Tantoh is proudly called Farmer by those who see not only his love for his fellow people, but especially his love for his land. His story is told by authors Baptiste and Miranda Paul with an international flair, weaving in local vocabulary and concepts in an easy-to-understand way, while simple but colorful illustrations by Elizabeth Zunon transport readers in time and place. Back matter, photos, and an author's note offer additional insight into Tantoh and his lasting impact, as well as how readers can use his story as inspiration for making a difference in their own communities.

This book blew me away! The Pauls and Zunon brilliantly tell Farmer's story of resilience and passion while highlighting both the natural beauty of Cameroon and his success in ecology and development of clean water access throughout. This book demonstrates drive, passion, community building, and the ability to make a big change with small repetitive actions. It also showcases the science of gardening, general ecology, and discusses the important topic of clean water access for all. This will be a great read for classrooms with many options for unit tie-ins, and will also provide the home readers a chance to learn about the cultural differences between their homes and Cameroon. The gorgeous art will delight readers of all ages and make them want to dig into the garden themselves. The backmatter is rich with an inspiring author's note, photos of the real Farmer Tantoh, cultural facts about different languages spoken in Cameroon, and cultural proverbs. This is a must read.

I Am Farmer by Baptiste and Miranda Paul, is a beautiful story about a young boy who stays true to himself, despite ridicule to become a true leader in his community.

Tantoh’s desire to better his community and the people is a wonderful example of how important it is for people to return to their communities and put in the effort to help those around them. Tantoh used his knowledge to assist the people of his, even to the point of risking his own health.

I Am Farmer is perfect for teachers looking for Earth Day or Life Science picture books. If studying cultures and people, I also highly recommend this book, as the story takes place Cameroon.

The illustrations in I Am Farmer are bright and colorful, really capture the heart of the story.

Everyone in developed countries knows that Africa is a poor continent with too many people and too few resources, right?
I Am Farmer will show you otherwise. Farmer Tantoh is an African who changes the lives of children and adults in Cameroon one village at a time. He fulfilled his dreams even though he was discouraged and mocked, even after he became so ill that it took him seven years to recover.
This book will inspire children to persist with their dreams no matter how impossible they seem. The text includes African proverbs and African words. Classroom units can provide additional study about the soil, clean water and all the necessary ingredients to farm successfully.
Photographs of Farmer Tantoh and his family help to personalize the story. The illustrations by Elizabeth Zunon highlight the text.

This beautiful book tells the story of Tantoh, a young boy from Cameroon who follows his heart and grows to become a leader in his community. As a child, Tantoh is teased for his love of gardening, but despite pressure to pursue a different path, Tantoh stays true to himself and becomes an environmentalist who is working to transform the landscape and bring clean water to villages. There is much to love about this book - rich and colorful illustrations, beautiful language, interesting facts, photos, and proverbs. However, the story itself is the true treasure. Overcoming hardship in his own life, Tantoh grew to bring hope, health, and beauty to his community. The inspiring story of Tantoh will stay with readers long after they finish the book, and will perhaps inspire them to go out and make a difference in their own communities.

"From small things, big things grow."
This proverb is found in the back of I AM A FARMER. The provers has such meaning after reading this story. I believe that children will be inspired because Miranda and Baptiste Paul shared the story of Farmer Tantoh. This is one small book, but it will encourage children to pursue their interests and to use their gifts as they look for ways to make the world a better place for others. And big things grow when helping others, Don't miss this beautiful book.

This is a wonderfully done book that makes me wish I was still in the classroom so I could read it to my students. It may come along with me on substitute teaching gigs in future.

The illustrations are a beautiful compliment to the clear, evocative text. I particularly like the way this book dealt lightly but seriously with difficult events in Farmer Tantoh's life and with the issues of access to food and clean water for people all around his native country of Cameroon.

I can imagine children enjoying this book at home and I can easily see it being used in multiple school settings, from a kindergarten unit on gardening to a middle school environmental science class. (And I say that as a former multi-grade elementary school teacher and middle school science teacher.)

This might sound like a strange name for a picture book. The first thing I thought was, "Shouldn't there be an "a" in there, so that the title is "I am a Farmer".

But, once you read the book, you understand, because this is the story of Tantoh Nforba, who goes by the name of Farmer. Despite, or inspite of being well educated at school, he felt that it was more important to work with the farmers, then to get a easy desk job in the city. He took the experience that his grandmother had taught him, and what he learned at school, and later at university, and showed the people how to conserve water, and how to keep it clean enough to drink, while still having it available for their crops.

This is the story of Tantoh Nforba, but it is also the story of Cameroon, forgotten about, perhaps, by the Western world, but Nforba goes from village to village, teaching them how to conserve, and thrive. He shares his knowledge, rather than keeping it to just his relatives.


This picture his showing him as a child, loving the soil and farming.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4688" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-9.10.20-AM.png" alt="I am farmer" />

And this picture shows what happens when you drink bad water. He came down with a water borne illness, typhoid, that took seven years to get well from.
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4687" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-9.11.46-AM.png" alt="I am farmer" />

Highly recommended for schools and libraries. A great way to learn about water conservation, as well as Cameroon.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.