The library has been a busy, busy place. A joyfully busy place! But books always bring me back to this blog. Always books!
Frazee, Marla. The Farmer and the Clown. La Jolla, CA: Beach Lane, 2014. Print.
Much has already been written about this striking wordless picture book by Marla Frazee. I'm not sure what my humble words could add to the conversation, but writing about this book is a must for me right now. An expression of my own learning.
The juxtaposition of a farmer & clown catch you first. A farmer, serious, early-riser, somber overalls. A clown, bright red, vivid playful. How the two meet is by chance. But the fact that they meet is life-changing, moreso probably for the farmer.
A clown bounces into the farmer's life. Left behind. The farmer had been watching the railroad tracks, as I noted in a third reading. His serious life needs some fun.
They meet, and the clown, though lost and away from his family of train-riding clowns, is happy --obviously feeling safe. He sees something in this farmer. He sees something. Readers will see it, too.
The colors are deep red, brownish-gray, and a yellow that's bright but soft. Color enters the farmer's world when the clown bounces into it. The size of the book enhances the horizon of the farm and the land. In a page where farmer and clown walk into the farmer's home for the first time, the double-page spread is pulled upward by the house on the upper right corner, and the farmer with the clown hand-in-hand on the lower right. Elements work together to bring these two characters to our attention.
There is nothing else around the home: no other farms, no fences -- only a single solitary tree on a mound above. (That tree plays a part later.)
I noted the lone chair on the porch. This farmer is alone. This farmer looks out sometimes. What does he look for? A friend?
Frazee's illustrations show movement effortlessly. The clown's little leaps and tricks as he hugs the farmer bring delight. Spreads become panels, and vignettes, and as the story unfolds, the farmer's eyes give his emotions away. The little clown enters the life of the farmer with joy, and we know the farmer's life will never be the same. Closed eyes, a tender hug, a kiss, and an outstretched hand reveal more feelings.
This is a story that, in an unassuming way, lays itself out for the heart to take in. (I won't spoil a thing for anyone here and tell you how anything turns out.)
I'm saying too much about this book, and yet not enough. And yet not enough.
I could write here that I feel the same book excitement for this title as I felt when I read I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick, 2011).
Or I could just say "I highly recommend this book".
The colors are deep red, brownish-gray, and a yellow that's bright but soft. Color enters the farmer's world when the clown bounces into it. The size of the book enhances the horizon of the farm and the land. In a page where farmer and clown walk into the farmer's home for the first time, the double-page spread is pulled upward by the house on the upper right corner, and the farmer with the clown hand-in-hand on the lower right. Elements work together to bring these two characters to our attention.
There is nothing else around the home: no other farms, no fences -- only a single solitary tree on a mound above. (That tree plays a part later.)
I noted the lone chair on the porch. This farmer is alone. This farmer looks out sometimes. What does he look for? A friend?
Frazee's illustrations show movement effortlessly. The clown's little leaps and tricks as he hugs the farmer bring delight. Spreads become panels, and vignettes, and as the story unfolds, the farmer's eyes give his emotions away. The little clown enters the life of the farmer with joy, and we know the farmer's life will never be the same. Closed eyes, a tender hug, a kiss, and an outstretched hand reveal more feelings.
This is a story that, in an unassuming way, lays itself out for the heart to take in. (I won't spoil a thing for anyone here and tell you how anything turns out.)
I'm saying too much about this book, and yet not enough. And yet not enough.
I could write here that I feel the same book excitement for this title as I felt when I read I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick, 2011).
Or I could just say "I highly recommend this book".