Reviews

Tom T.’s Tale

Mary Ann Bryan

My grandchildren and I enjoyed reading this book together. It is well written and tells a life lesson that children can understand. Loved the characters. It is written in both English and Spanish so it would be a good language teaching tool.

Tom T. Brightens Toby’s Day

Sia Kellie

My daughter and I love this book it's very educational. We can't wait to get all the other series.

Kathy J Perry, author

Parents of elementary school children will cherish LK Houk’s Down Home on the Farm series. Kids will love to read them over and over and begin to understand the inner story within each. The books are skillfully written, a rare quality found in children’s literature today.

James R. Valentine, COL, US Army, Medical Department, Retired

Tom T.’s a wise one, indeed, and this series sets a visually stimulating stage for his heartening messages. Mrs. Houk helpfully adds discussion questions that will provoke more conversations about her books and the tales they tell. I really loved this book and its vibrant presentation and happily look forward to more of what Tom T. has to say and why.

Very well done, Mrs. Houk! Kudos!

Sidney the Sad Little Skunk

Maria Olga Brophy, Retired Financial Officer, Inter-American Development Bank, Washington D.C.

This book is a beautiful tale, a wonderful story that gives life lessons to children and adults as well. The beautiful illustrations help describe the story in a very attractive way. They make you feel as part of the story, and enrich your soul.

The fact that is is written in two languages is remarkable.

It sends a very strong and positive message to a society that is in so much need of this style of literature.

Ronald B. Ellis, Representative 47th District, House of Representatives, State of Kansas

Having grown up on a farm and being a rancher all my life, farm life provides a perfect backdrop to the lasting truths and important life lessons Mrs. Houk shares in her books. The book’s narrator, Tom. T., is a simple endearing character, filled with wisdom he delightfully dispenses as he tells his tale using barnyard imagery. His stories remind children that honesty, patience, and love are constant and enduring needs of all creatures.

As a teacher for 37 years, I greatly appreciate the activities in the back of the books. These exercises help children hone reading comprehension and critical thinking mastery, two very important skills for every child to be academically successful.

More than anything, Mrs. Houk provides books every parent and grandparent can give to a child with confidence in the message. Children need high-quality moral instruction, and parents need character-building materials to engage children in “teachable moments” and challenging discussions.

This book has it all. Entertainment, education, and moral development. Every home with children should have the Down Home on the Farm series. These books will stand the test of time.

A Trail to Follow

Chaplain Col. Curt Bowers, USA Ret., Director of Chaplaincy, Ret., Church of the Nazarene, Lenexa, KS

Having observed the Houk family over many years in the military, as well as on farm and ranch settings, I feel they are exceptionally qualitied to share these amazing farm vignettes from their personal experiences.

Katy, as we know her, has done a superb job developing a series of books that children will love to read. Her writings have captured the essence needed to communicate uplifting life lessons and interesting tales to stir up the imaginations of children. These books are truly well-written and beautifully illustrated.

Parents and teachers will certainly enjoy having these books in their libraries. Having the books written in two languages is especially interesting and will pique the curiosity of both English and Spanish-speaking readers.

Janet E. H. Fogh, Head of School, Maranatha Christian Academy, Shawnee, KS

The stories Mrs. LK Houk has lovingly written are modern day parables for children about helping others, understanding and encouraging others, the power of an apology, the importance of surrounding yourself with good friends and examples, and respecting your elders. The stories are also great discussion starters for parents and teachers as the children respond to the messages of the story.

Including the Spanish translation for each story is a powerful addition to the usefulness of her books. Our school purchased a set of books for our Spanish students so they could have practice in reading books in Spanish and discussing them in Spanish. The books have been an excellent supplement to our World Language curriculum.

Mrs. Houk’s series, Down Home on the Farm, are truly heirloom books, ones that can be treasured and handed down from one generation to another. As a grandmother and an educator of over 30 years, I thoroughly cherish these books and will continue building a set of them for each of my grandchildren. Well done, Mrs. Houk! I am thankful for you and your gift of love through your stories.

A Job for Dancer

Nellie and Layla Boyts, Homeschool Mom and daughter, Vancouver, BC, Canada

“Wonderful” is the word that immediately came out of my daughter’s mouth after reading Tom T.’s Tale. In my humble opinion, LK Houk’s stories are the American counterpart to James Herriot’s Treasury for Little Children. I hope these tales inspire empathy, hope, and joy in the hearts of your littles as it has done in ours. These heartwarming tales from Down Home on the Farm have a special place on our bookshelf of living books.

Layla’s Review:

I want to tell Aunt Katy that I care about these stories so much because it makes feel happy. It makes me feel loved by my family."

Keith VanHorn, DDS, Lawrence, KS

These tales of life on the farm are well-written and full of detail. My children love reading them. Each story has a great moral which children can learn. These morals and stories have served as great family discussion starters.

Another added benefit my children love is that these tales are also in Spanish. As learners of a second language, my children enjoy reading in Spanish to test their comprehension. Overall, my family is extremely impressed with these stories!

Dotty Down Home

Bishop Dr. Patrick Musoke, Agape Outreach Ministries International, Kampala, Uganda, East Africa

It is such a great honour writing a commendation for the great work which Mrs. L. K.Houk has done in writing such a great dramatic story, Dotty Down Home, which teaches us how to relate in a godly manner.

While visiting the Houk’s ranch, I noticed two things about them: their love for people and animals. Therefore, it is no surprise that Mrs. Houk has put forth a dramatic story using animals as characters to teach the lesson that acceptance and belonging needs to be a two-way street.

This dramatic story teaches us to accept each other and understand that every being has an integral part to play in another’s life.

Krista Whitney, MD

In the Down Home on the Farm series, a wise turkey named Tom T. and his friends navigate the adventures of farm life, experiencing valuable life lessons along the way.

L. K. Houk has created a cast of charming and relatable characters, inviting children reading the stories to join them in their adventures. Through her beautiful imagery, Houk paints a detailed picture of Tom T.’s farm, so the characters and scenery spring to life from the pages.

As a pediatrician, I am a firm believer in the power of books and the impact they have in children’s lives. The Down Home on the Farm series is a set of books that allow children to nourish their imaginations, develop critical thinking skills, and begin forming their morals and values. I encourage all parents to sit down with their children and enjoy this delightful set of stories that inspire kindness, courage, respect, and so much more.

Anna’s Sugar Plum

Gaila Ross

It is such an honor to be asked to endorse this Down Home on the Farm series envisioned and brought to life by my dear friend of 57+ years. Through those years, I have watched Lura, “Katy”, share her faith with everyone she came in contact with. I have shared her adventures in raising her children and watched her make amazing memories with her grandchildren as she has guided and encouraged them to be all they can be.

As if that weren’t enough, she has now compiled a delightful series of books that, while entertaining, also slip in much-needed life lessons to be enjoyed by young people everywhere. These books will be a great addition to any library.

“You did it, Katy! I’m so proud of you!”

Love you more!

Gary Morsch, MD, Founder and Former Chairman of Board at Heart to Heart International

I’ve known LK (Katy) Houk for more than 40 years. During that time, she has been not only a dear friend but also a living example of the God we both serve. Her faith is evident in the way she lives and the servant’s heart she consistently displays. Anyone who has known or encountered her over the years would say they’ve experienced the presence of Jesus through her.

In her ongoing desire to share her faith, Katy has created a beautiful series of bilingual children’s books that reflect her beliefs and extend her message to people she may never meet in person. These stories, written over the past 20+ years, are drawn from her own life and point readers—young and old alike—toward eternal truths beyond this life.

Each book delivers a powerful moral message in a way that encourages reflection and inspires a life of purpose. By presenting the stories in both English and Spanish, she has widened the reach to include children and adults from diverse language backgrounds. I wholeheartedly recommend these books. They will bring joy to adults reading them aloud and to children who read them on their own. I believe they are destined to be- come cherished classics in family libraries across many nations.

J. K. Warrick, General Superintendent Emeritus, Church of the Nazarene, Centerville, OH

With imagination and inspiration Katy Houk leads her readers into a world mostly understood, and sometimes virtually inhabited, by children.  A world of make-believe in which she opens a child’s mind to the wonders of nature and value of life itself.   Her writings take children into their own world of imagination and in that world reveals to them the delights of the simple things of life, the value of life itself, and the joy of exploring those simpler things of life.  With no technology needed, she ignites their imagination and inspires them to think and learn and grow and become.

She writes somewhat out of her own story and her own life.  I am please to add my endorsement her writings and commend her for her commitment to this project.