Ever wonder what farm life looks like through the eyes of the animals? The Bear at June Farms, a children’s book inspired by West Sand Lake’s beautiful June Farms, tells the heartwarming tale of Bear, a curious puppy, as he adventures through the farm learning lessons about friendship and teamwork. The story was written by June Farms owner Matt Baumgartner and his mother, Rosie MacPhail.
“Seeing all the families who visit June Farms each year, and seeing how happy the kids are when they visit with all the farm animals, was the inspiration for the book,” says Baumgartner, who first opened the farm in 2017. Indeed, it’s hard to be sad when face to face with a Scottish highland cow.
Baumgartner teamed up with his mom, a big children’s book fan who collected many books throughout Baumgartner’s childhood, to capture the essence of June Farms in words. “We started with a simple outline and bounced ideas around as to what mischief Bear would get into at each stop around June Farms,” Baumgartner says. The duo kept adding details to Bear’s adventure, finding that the possibilities were endless.
The story comes to life thanks to illustrations by Stacey Leonard, whose cover hints at the animal friendships Bear will create as he’s introduced to the farm’s many personalities by wise farm dog Frank. “All of the animals definitely have unique personalities in real life,” Baumgartner says. “Other than the ducks, all of the animals on the farm are featured. One of the sweetest qualities about June Farms is that when you visit, you really get to meet all of our happy farm animals and see all of their adorable personalities.”
With their debut story receiving great feedback, Baumgartner and MacPhail say there’s more in store for Bear. “We plan to write a series of books about Bear’s adventures on June Farms,” Baumgartner says. “There might be a ‘road trip’ for the animals in our next book. But at the moment, my mom and I are really enjoying promoting and celebrating The Bear at June Farms.”
