★ 07/18/2022
In rhythmic, lightly rhyming verse and densely textured multimedia spreads whose collaged layers mimic the strata of stories built up over generations, two-time Caldecott Medalist Blackall relays the history of a white clapboard farmhouse “where twelve children/ were born and raised,/ where they learned to crawl,/ in the short front hall.” Gently affectionate lines and impish portraits of the siblings, who read as white, imagine their young lives in mischief, play, and work as they “whispered secrets,/ played truth or dare,/ and lost their teeth/ and brushed their hair.” Cleverly rendered cutaway images, meanwhile, hint visually at adjoining rooms while centering myriad objects: rag rugs, prize ribbons, “a button/ that was once a shell in the sea,” and more. After the last family member eventually departs, and the house falls into decay (“the parlor organ that rattled with nuts,/ put there by a squirrel with rather a fuss”), a turn toward authorial self-insertion pushes the once unsalvageable “falling-down house” into the here and now. The tale’s strong sense of place undergirds Blackall’s witness to the way environments change over time and stories survive long after material objects disappear, in a thoughtful, expertly executed work that looks simultaneously forward and back. An author’s note details the story behind the Upstate New York farmhouse. Ages 4–8. Agent: Nancy Gallt, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Sept.)
Praise for Farmhouse: A 2022 KIRKUS BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK A 2022 SLJ BEST BOOK A HORN BOOK FANFARE A 2022 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK A 2022 BOOKPAGE BEST BOOK A 2022 WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK A 2022 NYTIMES BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK AN NPR BEST BOOK OF 2022 A 2022 BOOKLIST EDITORS’ CHOICE GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST KIDS’ BOOKS OF 2022 2023 ALSC NOTABLE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN 2023 CCBC CHILDREN’S CHOICES LIST 2023 BANK ST COLLEGE BEST BOOKS
*"A lovely, tender reimagination of people in a long-past time and place."—Kirkus, starred review
*"A love letter to the joys of country living and family life as well as the importance of treasuring the past and all its stories."—School Library Journal, starred review
*"The tale’s strong sense of place undergirds Blackall’s witness to the way environments change over time and stories survive long after material objects disappear, in a thoughtful, expertly executed work that looks simultaneously forward and back."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
*"Blackall’s illustrations are everything here, incorporating wallpaper, fabrics, and other items scavenged from the house melded together with ink, watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil to create vibrantly layered compositions with a tactile quality."—Horn Book, starred review
* "Genuinely captivating...A meditation on the creative process...Multifaceted and arresting...Irresistible."—Booklist, starred review
“a tender, layered masterpiece that itself deserves to be passed along for generations.”—New York Times
*"A sophisticated, openhearted ode to what truly makes a house a home...Vividly realized...."—BookPage, starred review
Praise for Hello Lighthouse: A New York Times Bestseller and Caldecott Winner * "Blackall's charmingly old-fashioned art style is beautifully matched to this nostalgia-rich story, which imbues an antiquated place with warmth and wonder."L—Booklist, starred review
* "A delightful bedtime read perfect for one on one sharing."
—School Library Journal, starred review
* "It's a jewel of a creation and a gift to those who dream of retreat."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"I will be surprised if a more exquisite picture book will be published this year...Children will be fascinated..."
—New York Times Book Review
Praise for Finding Winnie:A #1 New York Times bestseller and Winner of the 2016 Caldecott MedalA New York Times Notable Children's Book of the Year
*"The sum total is as captivating as it is informative, transforming a personal family story into something universally resonant."—Horn Book (Starred Review)
*"Little ones who love Milne's classic stories will be enchanted by this heartening account of the bear's real-life origins."—Booklist (Starred Review)
*"A perfect melding of beautiful art with soulful, imaginative writing, this lovely story, penned by Colebourn's great-great granddaughter, is ideal for sharing aloud or poring over individually."—School Library Journal (Starred Review)
*"The book strikes a lovely, understated tone of wonder and family pride...[Sophie Blackall] proves that she's equally imaginative at chronicling straight-on reality too."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Gorgeously illustrated...[a] delightful telling."—New York Times Book Review
"Exquisite"."—Wall Street Journal
★ 07/29/2022
PreS-Gr 3—For most readers, a life in tune with the rhythms of nature on a family farm in the countryside is remote prospect; Blackall's gorgeous book changes that, by transporting children back to life in the 19th century on a dairy farm, where a family with 12 children lives in a white clapboard house. The detailed illustrated spreads show daily scenes at home and on the farm; some of these interiors are reminiscent of Grant Wood's painting "Dinner for Threshers," whereby one outside wall of the farmhouse has been removed offering a glimpse of the interior lives of the family. There is the wood stove in the kitchen, an upright piano in the parlor, quilts in the bedrooms, and homemade wallpaper. The text is one long, poetic sentence that wanders from misbehaving children to contented cows to nighttime dreams to the eventual abandonment of the farm and its reclamation by nature. Blackall has drawn inspiration for the book from an actual house in upstate New York and has begun all her augmented collage illustrations by using fragments of found objects from the farmhouse, including wallpaper, handmade dresses, and catalog advertisements. VERDICT A love letter to the joys of country living and family life as well as the importance of treasuring the past and all its stories.—Sally A. James
★ 2022-06-08
A large white house situated in farm fields and gardens is home to a large, loving family.
Twelve active, light-skinned children play, do their chores, and occasionally make mischief. Their growth is measured with marks on a wall for all to see. They sleep, read, giggle, and share secrets and dreams in dormitorylike rooms. The children grow up and leave for school and jobs and families of their own. When the youngest child, now quite old, leaves for the last time, the farmhouse is abandoned and sinks into disrepair. But the tale doesn’t end there. Brief rhythmic lines and a bit of playful rhyme list the day-to-day events and describe the children’s imaginings and dreams. The text is set within light beige panels amid double-page spreads of bright, colorful, layered illustrations that add depth, detail, and emotional connection. In a delightful surprise twist, Blackall becomes part of the tale, addressing readers directly, telling how she discovered this derelict farmhouse, collected the bits and pieces left behind, and used them to create the illustrations for the book they are holding in the hope that not only will the family’s story live on, but so might the stories these young readers will tell someday. Information about the actual family, as well as photos of the house and further details regarding Blackall’s process, appears in an author’s note. (This picture book was reviewed digitally.)
A lovely, tender reimagining of people in a long-past time and place. (Picture book. 4-9)
