Barn Raising - Hardcover

Craig Brownwas inspired to write and illustrate Barn Raising after attending a barn raising in an Amish community in Iowa. Although he now lives and works in Colorado Springs, Colorado, he has drawn upon his past -- growing up in a small farming community in Iowa -- as the basis for all of his books for children, Tractor, My Barn, The Patchwork Farmer, and City Sounds.

PreSchool-Grade 2-Brown's title page depicts lightning striking a barn. The ensuing wordless spread shows the chaos of the Amish family herding their animals away from the fire. What follows are scenes of the community responding to its neighbors' need, as the men come together and raise a new barn in one day. Long views; medium-range shots; and framed, inset close-ups show them clearing the land, raising the "skeleton" with poles and ropes, and laying the roofing panels. The artist's compositions, rendered in earthy pastels and pen and ink, are filled with the action of intersecting lines, many oriented diagonally. Brown also creates a variety of textures; the sweeping, visible brush strokes comprising the periwinkle sky are particularly effective. An author's note places the event in Iowa and offers a bit of background. Pair this story with Richard Ammon's An Amish Year (Atheneum, 2000), Sarah Stewart's The Journey (Farrar, 2001), and Patricia Polacco's Just Plain Fancy (Dell, 1994) for a visual sampling of Amish culture.
Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.