Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Compelling adaptation of classic satire rooted in reality.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
As ANIMAL FARM opens, the animals on Farmer Jones' farm rise up and chase him away. They plan to run the farm themselves, for their own benefit. At first, the animals are able to work together and support one another. Gradually, however, the pigs begin making helpful suggestions about how the farm should be run. Before long, the pigs are at the top of the social ladder and the rest of the livestock are wondering what happened.
Is It Any Good?
The story and language are very simple, but author George Orwell is unnervingly precise in the way he depicts each step on the road from revolution to tyranny. Animal Farm has been popular and highly acclaimed since its publication in 1945, and is often required reading in schools. In 2005, Time magazine chose it as one of the 100 best English-language novels, and the book ranks at 31 on the Modern Library List of Best 20th Century Novels. Odyr's watercolor illustrations root the story in reality, and his adaptation of the novel is clear and compelling.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what totalitarianism means and how it's depicted in Animal Farm. How did it shape the 20th century, and does it still exists today?
One of the novel's most famous quotes is "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others." What might that paradoxical statement mean?
As the pigs grow more powerful, they find a number of animals who seem willing to confess to the most horrendous crimes, even though they know they will be executed for their supposed crimes. Do criminal confessions always contain the complete truth? Why might a suspect confess to crime he or she did not commit?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Odyr
- Genre : Graphic Novel
- Topics : History , Animals
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Publication date : September 13, 2019
- Number of pages : 178
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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