This 2019 picture book came too late for our American History in Picture Books studies, but is definitely worthy of inclusion.
The book begins with the building of a barn in 1919. It is a collaborative work of a whole community to create a beautiful functional barn that will last a hundred years. Then, as the book continues, we see the barn, animals, and people grow, change, adapt, and endure.
The cover calls the illustration "art," and I agree whole-heartedly. The figures and shapes are more symbolic than realistic. The warm tones throughout evoke feelings of nostalgia and the natural world.
As the barn lives it's hundred years, the book fits into a wide range of time periods for an American History study. I think it fits best with World War I and the years just following (as the barn is built in 1919). That would allow the future in the book to foreshadow what children might hear later on.
I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Bookshop are affiliate links. I borrowed this book from our library.
