A farm story for all

A smile stretches across 6-year-old Ollie’s face as he reaches his hand out to the nose of Bella, a horse with rich brown coloring. Ollie and his brother, 9-year-old Ben, begin to walk with Bella, and her feet stomp, stomp, stomp — an action the boys know well.

Stomping horses, rolling pigs, and jumping goats adorn “Hello at the Farm,” a picture book written and illustrated by Ollie and Ben’s mother, Sherry Freyermuth, professor of studio art. “Hello at the Farm” is more than the average read-aloud farm story — it trades mooing and quacking for munching and flapping. By emphasizing animal actions instead of sounds, Freyermuth has created a more inclusive reading experience for children who don’t communicate verbally.

Freyermuth was inspired by Ollie, who is non-speaking and loves to move and play.

“As an autism mom, I’m always trying to find ways for Ollie to participate in activities with a focus on his strengths,” says Freyermuth. “He can participate with peers who speak, but he doesn’t have to rely on speaking to engage in reading. We hope for more inclusive activities for him as he gets older.”

“Hello at the Farm” was self-published this year under the pen name Sherry Fry and is available for purchase as a paperback or hardcover following a successful Kickstarter campaign, in which 60 backers pledged nearly $3,000 to fund printing and shipping for a bulk order of books. The book is already resonating with families.

“We want to help our children communicate their wants and needs, be independent, make friends, and do everything their speaking peers can do. This book sends the message that our kids can join typical peers and be part of their community,” says Freyermuth.

“Hello at the Farm” was personified for Ollie and Ben during a June visit to Easterseals Massachusetts at The Bridge Center in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, which offers programs like adaptive riding lessons. The boys dutifully walked horses Stevie, Bella, and Max, flanked by their parents, Sherry and John Freyermuth, professor of music (the couple met in high school and taught in Texas before coming to Clark). After brushing Max’s hair with the guidance of Cindy Conquest, the Bridge Center’s equestrian center director, the boys petted the lush coats of sheep Anna and Finnigan and fed them a hay lunch.

A duck flapping its wings has become the book’s mascot. It was the first animal Freyermuth designed for the project in April 2023, and she has taken to calling the duck “Flappers.” “Ollie likes the flapping,” she says.

Freyermuth created a plush toy that brings Flappers to life, as well as digital materials that accompany the book, like coloring pages and templates designed with teachers, librarians, and therapists in mind.

The story’s stomping horse also resonates with Ollie. “That’s the one he follows along with the most because stomping is something he enjoys doing,” Freyermuth says.

“Hello at the Farm” is intended for kids ages 2 to 6 and can help parents start a conversation with their children about how people learn and communicate differently. The book features Freyermuth’s signature art style, which fuses paper cutouts and digital techniques. “I love coming up with ways to make the letters feel like the actions they describe,” she says. The illustrations are embellished with acrylic and watercolor paint for texture, with contributions from Ollie and Ben. The goat page has a polka dot texture Ben created with dabber paint, and the dog page includes textures from Ollie’s school artwork.

The result is a bright and peppy collection of farm animals boasting a new action to try out with the turn, turn, turn of each page.