Hard Scrabble Harvest

In this classic picture book, Ipcar follows a young farm family through a long, chaotic growing season. The farmer plants his crops in early spring and immediately finds himself in a nonstop tug-of-war with every creature around. Crows go for the seeds, ducks wander into the strawberries, rabbits slip into the lettuce, and raccoons raid the corn at night. The whole summer turns into a steady rhythm of chasing, fixing, and trying again.

Yet somehow, by the time autumn arrives, there’s still plenty left to gather. The family brings in tomatoes, apples for cider, pumpkins for pie, a barn full of hay, and a turkey ready for Thanksgiving. Through lively rhyming lines and bold illustrations, Ipcar shows how messy, funny, and satisfying farm life can be. It’s a warm, energetic look at the work behind a fall harvest — full of motion, mishaps, and a sense of real, everyday effort.