The Number Farm

"At The Number Farm, animals love to play. Hide-and-seek! Count as high as you can today!" Math skills are vital for kindergarten readiness and success in school and life, especially in today's tech-based economy. The Number Farm was developed by a pediatrician and literacy expert, whose pioneering research has helped understand how home reading and screen time environments impact early skills (including math), relationships and brain development. This sweet, colorful, rhyming book introduces core numeracy skills such as counting, quantity, matching and addition "down on the farm," helping parents and other caregivers inspire young children to learn and explore. Ages 2-up.

Dr. John S. Hutton is an author whose work is inspired by experiences as a parent, pediatrician, researcher and children’ s bookstore owner (Blue Manatee, 2001-2019). His dad was a doctor, his mom a writer; he strives to honor both. He is among the world’ s leading experts in quantifying relationships between home reading and digital media (“ screen time” ) environments on brain structure and function in preschool-age children using MRI, featured extensively in academic and news outlets. He is also an innovator in developing and testing children’ s books for parenting and child health promotion, including safe sleep, breastfeeding, infant crying, reading with babies (SHARE/STEP method), dialogic reading (DR Books), alternatives to digital media (Baby Unplugged) and how the heart and brain work. In his career, he has worked in Cincinnati and Dallas, served as “ spokes-doctor” for the Read Aloud 15 MINUTES national campaign, on the Medical Advisory Board of Reach Out and Read, worked closely with the Children and Screens Institute and other groups, and is a co-author of the technical manual for American Academy of Pediatrics Literacy Promotion Guidelines. “ Dr. John” lives with his wife Shelley near a lake in Dallas with intermittent, welcome visits from children, pets and critters. They love to travel, dig in the dirt, walk, talk, play and read. From simple sketches to lovely illustrations, Lisa spends her days creating art from her cozy studio in New Hampshire. With over 15 years of experience in illustration and design, her work has been commissioned for greeting cards, stationery, children’ s books, and products. Growing up in Maine, Lisa developed a deep love for the outdoors, spending countless hours exploring the coastline, camping with friends and family, picking blueberries, and spending time in the garden. These experiences cultivated her appreciation for nature and wildlife, which shines through in her art. Lisa pursued her passion in college, earning a BFA in Visual Design & Illustration with a minor in Art Education. She describes her artistic method as “ tradigital,” delightfully blending traditional and digital mediums in a charming way. As a creative small business owner, Lisa is grateful to see her illustrations featured on various products, but what she enjoys most is knowing that her work brings a smile to so many. When not drawing or painting, Lisa enjoys yoga, reading, photography, gardening, and spending time with her family.