“Escape from Baxters’ Barn” is an excellent debut book for author and illustrator Rebecca Bond. The story is well told, the plot executed well, and the characters are charming and endearing. Each character has a distinct personality and gets their moment to shine; however, the story is told from the point of view of the one-eyed cat, Burdock, who yearns to be a house cat instead of a barn cat.
This is a lovely book about a group of farm animals who discover there is a horrible plot that will harm them. Burdock the cat overhears that one of the owners of the farm is going to burn their barn down. He decides to speak up and tell the other animals. They learn how to work together as they try to figure out a way to save everyone.
The story is a little scarey because the human is plotting something so bad but at the same time, you get to know the animals and their back stories and how they came to be a cohesive group. The ending is delightful and will brings smiles to children’s faces.
I would think that a ten year old could read this book by themselves; however, it would probably be a better read-aloud book for a younger group. I read aloud to my children for a half hour every night before bedtime. It was a great time to snuggle all the kids on one bed and read out loud to all of them at once. This is the perfect book for that situation and I highly recommend it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.
