Recently I discussed If I Was a Horse, a book by Sophie Blackall. I met and was quite impressed by Sophie at the Children’s Literature Conference.. As part of her presentation, Sophie discussed the entire creation story of her 2022 picture book Farmhouse.
Like many stories, this one has multiple beginnings. It began for the family who lived there long ago, and began again when Sophie stumbled upon this house and land, including the barn, which she has renovated into Milkwood, which serves as a retreat for the children’s book community. Sophie explained the decision to buy the land, verbally sketched in some fraction of the work involved in the renovation, and shared pictures and videos of the renovation process, some of the retreats, and of the creation of Farmhouse.
This book does not have a conventional structure or follow a conventional character. Instead, it tells the story of the house, and of the multi-generational family who lived in the house, and, finally, how all of their experiences and things they left behind became this book.
This is like a breathless lyrical poem, rich with illustrations that are complex and detailed. This is essentially a love poem to this house, this family she never met in person, and a mourning and celebration of time.
Quite complex and lovely.
