By: Amila Kanchana

THE CORN FARM BOY, a novel, written by Louis Lensky, was a book I first read when I was about eight years old. Since then, I don’t even remember how many times I read it again. 

The story is about an eleven year old boy who is brought up in a corn farm in America. The boy, Dick, lives in a corn farm that belongs to his uncle, with his family. His father runs the farm, growing corn, and, racing farm animals. Dick loves the environment and animals. He has a gift with the animals. He can tame them, and treat them when they are sick. Even the pigs get his deep affection. He desires to help his father with hard farm work, like driving the tractor with loads of corn harvest, just like his older brother. But he has a weak heart. Heavy work is not for him. He tries to deny that fact but eventually realizes that one has one's own limits and resolves to become a vet surgeon in the future so that he can be happy being with beloved animals.

The book is brilliant in the way it helps the reader to imagine the lovely environment where the story takes place, the way it lets us see things in Dick’s point of view, and its simple and rich style of language. The book can influence a child to care for the environment. It did that to me. Though the author’s target audience must have been children, THE CORN FARM BOY is a book that can be enjoyed by both children and adults alike. Find this book, read it, and, relive your own childhood.