Tuttle's Red Barn

Tuttle's Red Barn: The Story of America's Oldest Family Farm 
by Richard Michelson
Illustrated by Mary Azarian
copyright 2007

We stumbled upon this dear book, and even the kids sat through the whole long family tree of a story.  I'd sit here and chatter on about it for hours, but really, the publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons did such a fabulous job with its jacket leaf write-up that I won't reinvent the wheel in saying anymore:

The story of Tuttle's Red Barn is the story of America.  John Tuttle arrived in Dover, New Hampshire, in 1632 with only his father's ax an the two pewter candleholders his mother had given him after they'd hugged good-bye.  But from that humble beginning he built the farm that, today, still stands on the same land.

Twelve generations have tilled this New England soil, taking part in many great milestones of American history along the way.  The Tuttle family fought in the Revolutionary War, protected slaves on the Underground Railroad, and helped pave the way for the Industrial Revolution.  A Tuttle was even there to offer maple syrup to Abraham Lincoln when he visited Dover!

A fascinating look at America as seen through the eyes of one family, Tuttle's Red Barn is a must-read for anyone who appreciates the story of our country.  Caldecott medalist Mary Azarian's vibrant woodcut illustrations accompany Richard Michelson's informative and remarkable account of one family that has stayed connected through the centuries by a love of family, and one big red barn.

And if you'd like to see Tuttle's present day red barn and surrounding landscapes, here are some links:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/catchesthelight/3488876560/
http://richardmichelson.com/tuttle/book-release.html

Here's a fascinating interview with the illustrator, Mary Azarian:
http://richtexts.blogspot.com/2011/09/green-mountain-magic.html

Snowflake Bentley

Dear reader, this is the time of year to check out the 1999 Caldecott Medal book Snowflake Bentley (c 1998), not only for Mary Azarian's award winning woodcuts "handtinted with watercolors" but also for the intriguing history lesson / biography by Jacqueline Briggs Martin of the man who gave us the first close-ups of a snowflake.  Find out about Wilson Bentley's passion for snow and perseverance to discover a way to photograph snowflakes.

Here's a portion of the publisher's book review:
"Often misunderstood in his time, Wilson Bentley took pictures that even today reveal two important truths about snowflakes: first, that no two are alike, and second, that each one is startlingly beautiful."

And while the publishers recommend this particular picture book to ages 4-8, the history lesson is presented in such a beautiful way that you really should have your eldest children read it to their younger siblings.  Then, for those older siblings, check out Snow Crystals and/or Snowflakes in Photographs both by W. A. Bentley himself.

All ages will especially like looking through the original photographs of MANY individual snowflakes.  Afterwards, feel free to make your own snowflakes, as we did, using Lauren Stringer's tutorial (in correlation to her previously posted book, Snow).

Happy snow day!