Sep 23, 2023

HOPEFULLY THE SCARECROW: Stuffed With Picture Book Power


FLAMINGO BOOKS, 2023

HOPEFULLY THE SCARECROW is written by Michelle Houts and illustrated by Sara Palacios.

This seemingly simple story is elevated by its graceful, lyrical language, the sensitive empathy this scarecrow inspires, and the colorful, satisfying illustrations that are simple while subtly informative. This new picture book shines in its ability to portray a concrete, direct storytelling approach while revealing layers of  important themes: friendship, humor, the power of story, emotional connection, word play, and internalizing truths from books.

The opening lines land readers smack in the garden, introducing "a scarecrow", who immediately becomes the story's central character. The brief descriptions of his physical and internal traits are deftly described in the lilting but accessible language of the opening double spread.  One page turn brings an unnamed heroine into his life, "she". Her sense of the utilitarian role of scarecrows is evident in an early statement: "Hopefully, the scarecrow will keep birds away." Scarecrow's smile-worthy misunderstanding of her statement teaches him that his name is HOPEFULLY THE SCARECROW. Following spreads portray the attentive "she" reading aloud in the garden, instilling Scarecrow with the joy of story and the strength of facing challenges and adventures with bravery. From that point of view we see the life cycle of  Scarecrow's seasons and years unfold. It is not easy to write a compelling fiction picture book that spans years, but achieves that with effective page-turns and character shifts, testing Scarecrow's reliance on what he has learned from stories. The conclusion is utterly satisfying and uplifting, making this a must-have addition to home, classroom, and library collections. The trickiest challenge will be how to shelve it- with books about fall, or gardens, or friendships, or ... so many other important themes.

As mentor text for picture book writers, this is a marvelous example of a point-of-view approach that is rare indeed. The narration is in third person voice, but clearly close to the "heart" and "life" of Scarecrow. With that voice, Scarecrow is imbued with heart and is charmingly self-aware, but is not anthropomorphized or given a direct voice. The narration and dialog involving the  girl never suggests that she views Scarecrow as a living thing, and yet, from the successful and unique voice, they clearly connect and engage with each other. The balanced and believable "relationship" work especially well through the figurative expressions that convey Scarecrow's signals about passing time. I felt there was a strong sense that those hours of hearing books read aloud enhanced Scarecrow's vision of life and the world around it.

In a recent post I featured THE LITTLE HOUSE OF HOPE, which will pair beautifully with this title. It's fun to imagine the ways in which they can be compared and contrasted, from their contemporary settings, to their appealing characterizations, to the themes and purposes, to the powers of reading and writing in each. HOPEFULLY, you'll enjoy everything about both books, as I did, and share them often.

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