2010 Moonbeam Children's Book Award Winner
A tough-guy cat and his newbie duck sidekick take over an abandoned farm and are soon joined by two super smart escapee mice.
The Runt Farm books are illustrated middle readers for ages 6–10 that feature a nontraditional family of animals. A young, tough-guy cat and his baby duck sidekick take over an old abandoned barn, then two extra-smart mice named Tooth and Cletus arrive, having recently escaped from the evil NAARF lab. Strange inventions emerge from Cletus’ workshop as the animals pull together to fend off wily weasels and nefarious NAARFers. Readers will appreciate how this motley group gets through tough times, enjoys their differences, encourages the underdog, and grows closer with each new adventure.
Professional Reviews
Midwest Book Review
"Runt Farm" is a charming, imaginative tale about a renegade kitten (and fledgling duckling) who inherit a deserted farm and proceed to invent a wacky lifestyle that incorporates two wandering super-intelligent mice named Cletus and Tooth from NAARF (the Nightshade Association Animal Research Facility). Fortunately, Kitten does not eat or hunt live mice, so the operation continues on a canned goods supply shoestring-style. It is amusing to read about the educational efforts of the mice to build the vocabularies of Kitten and Peep, and the random species sampler encounters its share of challenges both from predatory neighbors (weasel), and NAARF Gestapo types. "Under New Management" is the first book in a "Runt Farm " series and it promises many rollicking pages of adventure to come. Whimsical black and white illustrations enhance the text, designed to appeal to a juvenile audience ages 6-10.
