Sparky kept kids calf-inated at farm reading program
Emme Dugan meets Sparky, the weeks-old calf. Photos by Christian Uva 
Elle Sylvia, 3, makes a new friend. 
Amanda Meyer reads to the children. 
Gio Robertson, 4, makes a splash in the puddles left by heavy rains the day before. 
Lily and Caleb Donovan give Sparky some attention.
Emme Dugan meets Sparky, the weeks-old calf. Photos by Christian Uva
Elle Sylvia, 3, makes a new friend.
Amanda Meyer reads to the children.
Gio Robertson, 4, makes a splash in the puddles left by heavy rains the day before.
Lily and Caleb Donovan give Sparky some attention.
MIDDLEBORO – The cows made the kids want to read moo-re.
Children got to read books about cows while learning how a farm works at Lolans Farm in Middleboro on Tuesday, Aug. 4. This was the third and final Farm Tales event in Middleboro Public Library’s summer reading program, which rewards kids for reading and listening to audiobooks with prizes.
A group of 18 kids sat on milk crates lined up in front of a tractor to read books about cows and farms. Meyer led the kids in a farm-themed movement break. Lolans Farm owner Sue Shields taught the kids facts about how cows eat and produce milk.
Children’s librarian Amanda Meyer said the reading program’s theme, “Plant A Seed, Read!” encourages kids to learn how their food is grown. Meyer has brought children to farms and cranberry bogs for previous events this summer.
After reading, the kids got to pet Sparky, a one-month-old calf born right before July Fourth. Caleb Donovan, 8, said Sparky “tried to take a bite out of my shirt.” He still said it felt “pretty good” to meet the calf.
Many of the kids, including Caleb, had seen cows before and jumped to pet Sparky. Emme Dugan, 2, on the other hand, was more hesitant to go up to her, as it was her first time meeting a cow. She still gave the calf a few pets.
Shields led the group to the farm’s pumpkin patch, where she grows more than 15 types of pumpkins. She also introduced the children to more fully grown cows in their pen. Elle Sylvia, 3, tried to feed a cow a leaf, but it wouldn’t bite.
Puddles covered much of the farm, but the kids came prepared. Meyer told them to bring their boots to the farm before the event.
Their boots emboldened many of them to wade right through deep puddles that went past their ankles. Gio Robertson, 4, walked right into a puddle while sporting his brown cowboy boots. “It’s so sticky and so wet,” he said.
