Moving and Lavish: Read Our Review of Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall

Farmhouse is a lavish and moving tribute to a beloved place in the vein of Hello Lighthouse, from two-time Caldecott Medallist, Sophie Blackall.

Step inside the dollhouse-like interior of Farmhouse and relish the daily life of the family that lives there, rendered in impeccable, thrilling detail. Based on a real family and an actual farmhouse where Blackall salvaged facts and artifacts for the making of this spectacular work, page after page bursts with luminous detail and joy.

Join Blackall as she takes readers on an enchanting visit to a farmhouse across time, to witness the way that history spins stories. Originally from Australia and now based in New York, Blackall is a talented illustrator of over 50 children’s books. She’s won America’s prestigious Caldecott Medal for her illustrations twice, for Hello Lighthouse and Ivy and Bean. She has also won the New York Times Best Illustrated Picture Book Award four times! Not stopping with her incredible artistic skills, she has also written some of her picture books, including her latest, Farmhouse – and it’s one of the most evocative and beautiful picture books I’ve had the pleasure of reading.

When Blackall stumbled upon a crumbling 19th-century farmhouse near her home in New York state, she was inspired to research the family with twelve children who lived there. She salvaged photos, wallpaper, newspapers, handkerchiefs and curtains to piece together their story – and even used these materials within her collage-like illustrations. Her simple prose combined with her gloriously detailed illustrations makes Farmhouse a beautiful story that adults are bound to enjoy alongside inquisitive children.

Farmhouse is a remarkable picture book that brings history to life and revels in the beauty to be found in old or damaged objects. I absolutely loved it.

Buy a copy of Farmhouse here.