This beautiful picture book celebrates a family's real experience of buying land out in the country and building their own farmhouse. The author created this story with input from her children, and the story comes from her children's perspective, describing the family's experience pursuing this dream, and what it was like for them to finally start living the life they had dreamed of. The story is full of lovely sensory details, and the author's note at the end includes touching reflections and family photos.

This book is charming and delightful, and it has the feel of a classic. This will appeal to readers who have had similar experiences, or who like to dream about living in the country. I really enjoyed this, and the story and illustrations radiate joy and love.

The illustratons in this book were absolutrly adorable. So delicate and pretty. I loved the color choices as well. As far as the actual story goes, I found it a little boring.

My six year old liked this story. He followed along and understood what was going on. We couldn't figure out who was narrating the story until about halfway through. Once we figured out it was the young boy, I thought the voice should have been more childlike. It was lovely writing, just not the right voice for a kid.

Obviously it's a recent and true story as stated by the author's note, but it felt like it could have been written in 1950s. The homestead vibes are not my thing, so I'm not sure I'd buy this book, but it was a nice read for a February afternoon.

The illustrations were the best part. Gorgeously done, whimsical and layered.

Lovely watercolor illustrations and story ! I can think of several friends who have built homes or moved out to more rural properties who would love this book. It also made me nostalgic for my childhood out in the middle of nowhere with chickens and kitties and a huge garden. Just lovely.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tommy Nelson for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Fairytale story of taking the leap to move to the countryside

While it is wonderful in so many ways to see a first brave step lead to happiness, this story feels like it’s missing a challenge or two (there must have been some?) in making an amazing dream come true. Wish there was more reality to the story so it felt real.

A precious story of a dream come to life…or a dream of a life! The wonderful and endearing story of a life built from the ground up.

A sweet, family centered picture book on reaching for your dreams as a family. This is the true story of author, Melissa Ferguson’s life. I love following her on IG and seeing her beautiful farmhouse life! The story and the illustrations in this book were incredibly done!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tommy Nelson publishing for the ARC of this beautiful picture book!

This is such a cozy and sweet book. This will be one that I purchase for my classroom and home when it releases. It inspired me to slow down and soak up the simple, I also loved the beautiful artwork.

A childrens book & Melissa Ferguson? I'm sold! This eas lovely & beautiful! I absolutely cant wait to get a physical copy in our home to read to our children. Wonderful story.

Our Friendly Farmhouse is an idyllic story of building a home and enjoying the farm life on an abundant land which was purchased at auction. Yes, the path to buying and building a home is scary, but clearly this true story turned children’s fiction is meant to be light and bring hope to all reading it. This harkens to Americana, which unfortunately, isn’t accessible to everyone. And while we can’t expect fiction to fit everyone’s lifestyle and life circumstances, this story delivers a true life depiction of a proud family, who are united in their friendly farmhouse.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tommy Nelson for the eARC!
This book is very cute! The artwork is beautiful and the story was very sweet. There are a variety of settings, animals, and characters to talk about with young children, as well as some vocabulary.
Most children in the target age range for this book might have trouble engaging with the story. While visually engaging, the plot provides little of interest for young children. It was very monotonous and depicted an everyday life that was fairly mundane. There are plenty of merits to the mundane, of course, but the target audience may not find it entertaining. There was no overarching lesson or moral to the story either. Parents may enjoy this as a cozy farmhouse story, but children may not be as inclined to sit through the full book.

A beautifully illustrated book with a great message. Do scary things and trust God. I enjoyed watching the little dream grow into reality with each passing month. I received a complimentary e-copy of this book and read it with pleasure. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Zonderkidz and NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this beautiful little story! If you’re looking for a stunningly illustrated story about taking risks and pursuing a slow life, this is perfect for the little readers in your life. It’s also just a lovely story that adults can read too.

I adored the illustrations, which drew me in as the story unfolded. They used a pleasing combination of pastels and pictures. Next, I loved Melissa Ferguson’s dedication to showing the reader that it’s important to take risks, pursue dreams, and seek slow, beautiful moments in life. Also, her endnote and real-life pictures added a personal touch to the sweet story.

To enjoy this warm, darling story, grab a copy today for your little reader (and you!).

Happy reading,

Bethany the Bookworm Girl

Part construction tale, part family story, this beautiful picture book encompasses that dreams and hard work it takes to make a home. It shows the power of a "what if" and how a slow and steady life can be glorious. I thought it was sweet and charming and think it would make a fine addition to our shelves.

Thank you so much to Tommy Nelson and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

A family takes a chance on an empty land plot, going for a distant dream of building a friendly farm house. The children all help with everything as the house goes up, new animals arrive, family gatherings outside in the mountain air and flowers blooming everywhere.

What a beautiful story and a true one at that which I loved, I really enjoyed that this was told through the boys perspective of the entire experience from his dad finding the land, to buying it and building then entire house from nothing and too playing with his sisters and cousins on it. It was really a lovely story and was beautifully written.

The illustrations were stunning seeing as the progress went on and the involvement of the children at each and every section, seeing the land evolve and change over time until everything became complete. It was really lovely to read and to look at, it was a stunning evolution of it being nothing to it being so beautiful.

I also really liked that the author shared pictures of the real house, the real children sharing the actually story alongside it. How a small dream can become something so much more over time. I really enjoy the little touches of a true story being added, it really helps to enhance a story.

Overall, the book was well written and I did really enjoy it. Thank you for this advance reading copy!

Such a sweet, cozy book about a family who decides to take a huge chance and move out to the country. Though they're a bit scared and unsure at first, they're soon bursting with fresh ideas and a new space to make their own! The illustrations are simply adorable, and the pictures in the author's notes of their real life experience make the story even better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet little story, and gorgeously illustrated! The illustrations were so gentle and flowy and progressed the narrative along nicely. I appreciated the pops of color in the text as well, and while this is a simple and straightforward story, there are some great chances at introducing new vocabulary. It's full of heart and love. I didn't even realize it was based on a true story until I saw the pictures in the end. This was such a precious story that shows the allure of a sweet, though somewhat romanticized, homestead life.
Overall a sweet story that makes for a nice readaloud.

Thank you to Netgalley for this e- copy of Our Friendly Farmhouse by Melissa Ferguson in exchange for a honest review . This book is a breath of fresh air about a family who leave their home to settle in the Appalachian Mountains right before Covid lockdowns. They bid on their land at auction and build a beautiful farmhouse and welcome many animal friends . Even though this is technically a children’s book , with its beautiful illustrations it can be read by any age group . It is a remarkable tale about trying new things and taking leaps of faith even though they are scary.