The Scarecrow (udgave 2019)

Beautiful, stunning, lovely and it had the ability to transport me to a lovely place when carefully studying the images that are so very well illustrated.

The scarecrow stands alone in the field. He has no company. He cannot bend, nor can he be sheltered from the cold elements, or the burning sun that makes him wish he could reach to remove his hat.

Sad, dejected, alone, one day a surprise happens. Plop, from the sky is that sound and the scarecrow cannot ignore the small black shape at his feet. Broken body and wings, the scarecrow discovers he can reach down if he puts a lot of energy into the feat and then tries to do so.

Overjoyed, he places the bitty baby crow in his front pocket. And, now he has purpose and takes care of the baby through the snow, rain and sun. Until, the baby becomes well, and the scarecrow continues to feel alive and glorious.

But, as he knew, but didn't want to admit, the crow is grown and healthy, and he must fly away.

With a sense of sadness and pride, the scarecrow lets him use his healed wings to fly away. He's done a good deed, why should he feel so sad.

And, then, on a day like no other, the crow sits on the fence where the scarecrow can see him, and then he gently lands back where he belongs, and the two once again thrive. ( )

A touching story of friendship. ( )

Standing in his field through the seasons of the year, the eponymous Scarecrow is a solitary, friendless figure, one who does not know joy or companionship. Then a baby crow crashes to the ground near his feet, and everything changes. The Scarecrow adopts the hatchling, sheltering him and cheering him on as he grows. But when the crow takes flight, leaving the Scarecrow all alone again, is it the end of their unusual friendship...?

Given my great love of the Fan Brothers and their phenomenal artwork, I have been looking forward to The Scarecrow for some time, and picked it up today with a pleasant feeling of expectation. Although I wouldn't describe it as quite the equal of some of their earlier books - The Night Gardener or Ocean Meets Sky are personal favorites - it was quite lovely. The rhyming text from author Beth Ferry is sweet, and her tale heartwarming, while the artwork, created using pencil, ballpoint and Photoshop, was charming. I particularly enjoyed the autumn and winter scenes, as those are my favorite seasons. Recommended to anyone looking for beautiful new picture-books about friendship and/or the seasons. ( )