Tag: Sophie Blackall

Farmhouse

by Sophie Blackall

DETAILS:
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 13, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 40 pgs.
Read Date: April 21, 2022

What’s Farmhouse About?

It’s about a Farmhouse (no, really!) and its residents. It tells the story of a large family (from an indeterminate time, but not recent) growing up, growing older, and departing their home and leaving it as a house.

As the years pass, the house falls into disrepair and a new type of resident moves in—animals of various species and sizes. Eventually, the house is about to fall apart and is found by someone fairly contemporary to us—and its story gets told.

Let’s Talk about the Art for a Minute

This is a pretty, pretty book. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t know how a child is going to react to this art. But I can’t imagine any adult reading this and not being captivated. Maybe you can talk about the drawings and layers (more about that in a moment) with the child as you read it.

The last few pages of the book describe how the author (as a character in the story) created the art and the book. This is just great idea and fits the overall arc here—and (at least the first time) is a nice twist to the family story.

There’s also an Author’s note at the end for the adult to read that’s a lot more detailed about the way the art was created. This is a very nice bonus and will equip the adult to go back later and explain all the craft involved. For me, this is not the way I think at all—I can’t imagine taking all the bits and pieces that Blackall did and turning them into something like this. But I’m so glad someone did.

How is it to Read Aloud?

Well, the book is really one reallllllly long sentence, so if you’re going to be pedantic and uptight about that kind of thing, you’re going to run out of breath and pass out. Don’t do that.

Thankfully, it works pretty well to just read a page at a time.

This is not one of those books that’s fun to read—there’s no fun rhyme, no goofy wordplay, or that kind of thing. That’s also a blessing—you can just relax and bask in the warmth of this book. As such, it’s really pleasant to read aloud.

So, what did I think about Farmhouse?

In the beginning, I was pretty “meh” about this book—not that I disliked it, but I didn’t really care about it. But by the midpoint, it had worked its charm on me—and then when the author came along? I was totally won over.

This is a simple book, about a simpler time, told (in words and pictures) in an attractive way that will make fans of older readers, and likely younger readers (I’m assuming a Caldecott winner is a better gauge of what her audience will find appealing than me). It’s one I can’t wait to share.

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