Barn [Hardcover]

Debby Atwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 1996 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

For two centuries, a New England barn watches history unfold.. The elegant oil paintings and lyrical text capture the beauty of a barn faith-fully keeping vigil generation after generation.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sounding a nostalgic historical note reminiscent of that heard in Donald Hall and Emily Arnold McCully's Old Home Day (Children's Forecasts, Aug. 12), this attractively plain story chronicles the life of a barn from its construction during the Revolutionary War to the present. The barn itself narrates, in an unorthodox but inspired choice of perspective by first-time author Atwell (illustrator of The Day Hans Got His Way): "Life was all around me: babies growing, corn ripening, leaves turning, snow falling." The healthy hubbub dies down, and the barn weathers hardships, as in the Depression, when it is inhabited sporadically by various hoboes. Later still, a fire breaks out, an event that is decidedly eerie since the victim is doing the talking: "And there I was, on fire. Nothing could stop it. I burned to the ground." Rebuilt, the barn houses horses and, despite the sight of a thriving metropolis in the background, things are much the same as in the beginning. Atwell's folk art-influenced paintings at once depict the changing times and the comforting timelessness of the barn's existence. Both narrative and pictures exude tranquility; in the closing words of the barn, quite content with its current incarnation, "It is some lovely." Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4?A unique American chronology related by a "plain old farm barn" from the time it was raised in the late 18th century to the present day. It provides unusual but effective first-person observations of the families who struggle and thrive in the barn's shadow across two centuries. The Barn's voice, at times, lyrical: "I was raised in a coastal fog so thick the crows had to walk to the cornfield that morning"; at times offhand: "When the war was won, the boys came home. After they got tired of hugging, kissing and cooking big meals, Polly's children found new homes and said goodbye"; but never sentimental: "She patted me on the door and said goodbye. I stood silent for many summers." Atwell's full-page primitive style paintings tell a complementary story with details and subtle changes of landscape and structures that invite repeated viewings. That life is a series of hellos and goodbyes is clearly illustrated in this interesting picture book. It can be enjoyed by many ages and used as a springboard for historical research by older children.?Lee Bock, Brown County Public Libraries, Green Bay, WI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; 1St Edition edition (September 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395785685
• ISBN-13: 978-0395785683
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,364,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barn will touch your heart!, July 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Barn (Hardcover)

Thank you Debbie Atwell for this special book. I have always loved barns but now we can see how barns love us back.

The history of "Barn" is fascinating and the telling from Barns' perspective is terrific! I found this book at my local library but love it so much I'm purchasing it for my collection.

I would encourage all readers, young and young at heart to take a look at this exceptional work.

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it., December 17, 2009

By 

Ardita (East Coast, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barn (Paperback)

Atwell has an amazing ability to see a story in front of her and to bring it to her audiences. I will never look at a barn or any aged building quite the same again. I think this is an important story for children to read for in it is the lesson that time is a continuum and we live merely from point a to point b on that continuum.

4.0 out of 5 stars Barn is a book about what actually unites people., July 26, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Piru, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barn (Hardcover)

Barn by Debby Atwell is about a barn but tells us about our sense of continuity, what we value, what spiritual and basic forces bring us together. The paintings are like the flicks of life and lifetimes going by and give us a space and time to view it all. Good for kids but it's in my adult collection too.