A brave, bossy bunny and a squirrel with impeccable flair join the family ranks. Cletus and Tooth, the NAARF lab escapees, engage in vocabulary-building banter as they seek to provide stability and safety for their adopted multi-species brood.
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. In Book 2 a brave, bossy bunny and a squirrel with impeccable flair join the family ranks. The mice engage in vocabulary-building banter as they seek to provide stability and safety for their adopted multi-species brood. 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
Playing marbles and teaching baby frogs to share lily pads was never so unpredictable and so much fun!,
In the second Runt Farm book of the series, "Beatrice and Blossom," new members are recruited for the Runt Farm pack, now including Kitten, Peep, two inventor mice named Cletus and Tooth, and Beatrice, a bunny, and Blossom, a soggy squirrel. A kind of raggle-taggle gypsy band dynamic develops, and each member of the troop contributes their own special assets or talents and a remarkable story ensues. The antics of the eccentric characters are hilarious and spontaneous. A very cozy group dynamic is further explored in this second book of the Runt Farm series. Playing marbles and teaching baby frogs to share lily pads was never so unpredictable and so much fun!
