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.

AN OHIO ICON: Grandma Gatewood Takes a Hike

 Have you ever heard of Grandma Gatewood? 

She's a real-life woman whose determination and durability are outweighed only by her lifelong love of walking. Born into a huge family in a rural Ohio community, she was gifted in many ways with plants, people, and crossing any surface on foot "as the crow flies", wherever that direction took her. She walked to help the ailing, deliver gifts, and to arrive at any destination or event, on foot. Even turning down rides to make her own way there.

It was not until after her own children were grown that she read a book about hiking the APPALACHIAN TRAIL. It wasn't long before she learned what that meant, and that no woman had ever hiked the entire trail alone. 

As she "prepared" for doing just that, her lack of understanding was astonishing, but not to her. Why wouldn't her regular sneakers suffice instead of hiking boots, or a simply stitched canvas bag instead of full backpack gear? Food was no issue, since she had spent her lifetime learning to forage in the wild. 

OHIO UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2016

I  won't provide even a sketchy description of why her first attempt failed, since the author and illustrator of  WHEN GRANDMA GATEWOOD TOOK A HIKE,  Michelle Houts and Erica Magnus have depicted that brave but foolhardy effort with respect and emotional depth. 

Rather than accepting this disappointment with resignation, though, Grandma Gates returned home to recover and rethink her approach. You can certainly surmise that this book would never have been written if her intentions had failed. This irrepressible woman had her mind set on hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. She was not to be deterred. 

Her persistence paid off, but the ways in which she learned and grew (and grew famous!) along the way makes an inspiring read for any age. With summer just beginning, a book like this could result in young (or old) taking the steps (intentional pun) necessary to learn about and practice hiking. By late summer or on fall weekends, local trails should be a satisfying piece of cake for those who believe as Grandma Gatewood did, that land location is reachable on foot! Give the book a try,  and then consider doing the same for seeing our amazing world at natural eye level and walking speed!