Farmhouse

Written and illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Caldecott medalist author and illustrator Sophie Blackhall spent meticulous time on this book, and it shows. This commemorative showpiece is best read leisurely to fully appreciate its intricate details. More than romanticizing farm life, Blackhall’s is a tribute to the Swantak family, whose living fragments she found upon buying the homestead. The author’s note adds a “layer”–to use her own term– to the story and makes mature readers appreciate it the more. Younger readers will still love poring over the illustrations and studying the doings of the 12 children born in this house.

Farmhouse is a reminder of time passing, children growing into careers, motherhood, into old age, until all that is left are memories. How cruel it seems that our lives should be reduced to a collection of mud-caked dresses, faded wallpaper, and buttons from the sea. However, Blackhall achieves her goal of paying homage to the past, especially in her art, but also in her narrative. Death is tragic, but life can be full as much as it can be relentless. She is particular in her descriptions of family members both visually and in print (proof of her extensive research on their personalities). Her narrative is a run-on poem separated by commas and one lone period. Her use of “and” to connect sentences mimics life’s compiling nature, especially on a farm: Chores pile up, days pass, and add up to lives lived. However, much like pastoral life, Farmhouse encapsules the dichotomy of time. Life is short, but also moves slowly and long enough for saplings to sprout through the floor and grow into parallel cracks on the ceiling, acorns to collect in the pantry, and bears to sleep in the basement.

Farmhouse honors the tried and true approach to good literature: focusing on one house, one family history, to portray mortality and the legacy we leave behind.

Translation difficulty: Difficult. This title is best read in English while discussing the illustrations and exploring vocabulary in Spanish. I think it is a great title for appreciating and discussing family history/heritage (in a mother-tongue preferred). Where did you child’s relatives live? What did they wear? Did their great-grandmother like to cook? What do you know about their likes and personalities?

If you are curious about what Blackall has made of the Swantak Family farm, click here to browse photos of Milkwood, her retreat space for those in the children book industry.