McBroom's Ear

by Sid Fleischman

First published 1969

Josh McBroom owns the most remarkable farm you ever did see. His single acre of land produces crops so fast and abundant that corn grows tall enough to scrape clouds and pumpkins swell to the size of carriages. When McBroom plants his seeds in the rich black soil, vegetables shoot up before his very eyes. His children help tend the miraculous crops while neighbors shake their heads in wonder at the impossible harvests. But farming this magical land brings its own peculiar problems. McBroom must outwit scheming neighbors who want to steal his fertile ground and solve the strange troubles that come with soil so powerful it defies nature itself. Through it all, McBroom spins his stories with the confidence of a man who has seen the impossible happen in his own backyard. This is a tale about the joy of storytelling itself, where the line between truth and imagination blurs like heat waves rising from summer fields.

Genres: fiction, adventure, fantasy

Vibes: fast-paced, thought-provoking, whimsical

Tropes: found-family, tall-tale

44 pages · Hardcover · W. W. Norton

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