Barbara

This is a book about Barbara, a ewe that lives on Tocal Farm. She is part of a herd that stick together and look out for each other. Sometimes Barbara doesn’t feel as strong as she looks, so the rest of the herd help her out! Through her story, children discover valuable lessons about friendship, resilience and looking beyond appearances.

Set on a real Australian farm, Barbara introduces young readers to sheep farming and wool production while helping them develop a greater appreciation of where fibre comes from and the people who produce it.

Bring Australian agriculture to life and help children discover the story behind wool production through Barbara's heartwarming farm adventure.

Who this book is for

• Primary school students
• Early childhood educators
• Teachers delivering food and fibre education
• Parents and grandparents looking for educational farm stories
• School libraries 

What you'll learn

• How sheep are raised on Australian farms
• The role sheep play in wool production
• What happens to sheep in a shearing shed
• Why teamwork and community support are important
  
• How appearances do not always tell the whole story
• The connection between farming and everyday products
• The importance of Australian food and fibre industries

Barbara is one of a series of stories aimed at developing agricultural understanding in young students, as well as an appreciation of the work involved in producing food and fibre on Australian farms. The titles in this series are Barbara, Beatrice, Bosley and Bruce, Charlotte, Freda, Jack and Dunedoo and Sunny and Ruby. You can buy the whole series here.

Check out the activities designed to go along with these stories, created by the NSW Department of Primary Industries Schools program! They will help you get the most benefit out of the stories. Find them at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au. These books and related educational activities were shortlisted in the 2020 Educational Publishing Awards Australia. 

Publication Details