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Welcome to Silver Street Farm

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Welcome to Silver Street Farm
by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Katharine McEwan
Candlewick, 2012.  72 pgs.  Intermediate

     Three kids in pre-school only want to play with the farm animals and when they get older, they want the real thing:  a farm in the city.  Sometimes dreams do come true and they do in the unlikeliest fashion for Gemma, Meera, and Karl when they find an abandoned train station right by the water that is perfect for ducks, sheep, goats, and chickens (for starters).  But where to get the animals? and what if the City Council has other plans for the old train station?  The first part turns out to be easy.  Karl's aunt is swindled by a guy claiming to be selling her poodles, but they are actually sheep.  The guard dog at the station is transformed into a farm dog by the judicious application of green jellybeans.  Meera's veterinarian employer gives her some duck eggs he thinks are no good, and so on. The City Council is a tougher nut to crack, but a popular uprising brings them to their knees and the Silver Street Farm is open for business, right in the heart of the city. This beginning chapter book should be a perfect fit for young readers who love animals.
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