Farmer John's Tractor

A new story featuring machines and adventure from the author of Roadworks

Farmer John s rusty old tractor lies locked in the shed. Rusty yet trusty and orangey-red. When the rain comes and the river rises, will Farmer John s tractor be able to save the day?

About the Author

Sally Sutton is an Auckland playwright and children s writer. Her first picture book, Crazy Kiwi Tops and Tails, was published by Penguin in 2006. Sally has an M.A. (Hons) in German and lives in Birkenhead with her husband and daughter. Roadworks, her third picture book, won the Picture Book category at the New Zealand Post Children s Book Awards in 2009.

About the Illustrator

Robyn Belton is one of New Zealand s best known and most celebrated children s book illustrators. Her first book with Joy Cowley, Greedy Cat (1983), established her in New Zealand and the United States and their second collaboration, The Duck in the Gun (1985), won her the Russell Clark Award in 1985. The book quickly established an international following and its powerful anti-war message saw the book translated into Japanese and chosen as one of the 10 Children s Books selected for the Hiroshima Peace Museum. Robyn s 1997 book with Jennifer Beck, The Bantam and the Soldier, won both the Picture Book Category of the New Zealand Post Children s Book Awards, and the Book of the Year. In addition to her work as a professional illustrator, Belton has taught and run workshops throughout New Zealand for both children and adults. She has participated in the Book Council s Writers in Schools programme as well as teaching at Polytechnics in Nelson and Dunedin. In addition to workshops, Belton has spoken and published widely on the subject of illustration, and has had her work exhibited in New Zealand, Italy and Japan. Robyn Belton was the 2006 winner of the prestigious award for children's literature, the Margaret Mahy Medal.