Hopefully the Scarecrow

by Michelle Houts (Author) Sara Palacios (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

"A beautifully crafted friendship tale that's just right for storytime." --Kirkus

A tender and emotive picture book about a scarecrow who befriends the young girl who reads to him day after day until one day he's left wondering where she is. The perfect Fall book for kids!

A scarecrow stood in the garden. Tall, proud, and smiling. Every day a girl brought her favorite books to the garden and she read to him. He heard tales of courage and of hope. And when she said, "The End," the scarecrow always felt a little bit taller and braver. Year after year, she came and she read to him. Until one spring, two different hands picked him up from the garden shed and placed him in the garden. He waited, but she didn't come to read to him.

With poignant words from award-winning author Michelle Houts and lush illustrations by Pura Belpré Honor winner Sara Palacios, Hopefully the Scarecrow is a tender distillation of the enduring power of friendship and a heartwarming look at the ways stories connect us.

Perfect for fans of The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry and The Fan Bros.

Praise for Hopefully the Scarecrow: "A simply told, emotionally satisfying picture book." --Booklist

Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus Reviews

A quiet, beautifully crafted friendship tale that's just right for storytime.

Booklist

 A simply told, emotionally satisfying picture book.

Review quotes

Friendship can withstand time and distance thanks to hope. Houts' precise, evocative text employs rich vocabulary and will appeal to imaginative youngsters. Palacios' enchanting illustrations combine a vivid palette of reds, oranges, greens, and blues with an irresistible retro style that lends a timelessness to images of dragons, castles, sailing ships, and tiny scarecrow heroes that accompany scenes of the girl reading aloud. A quiet, beautifully crafted friendship tale that's just right for storytime. -Kirkus reviews 

The gentle, smoothly written narrative revolves around the scarecrow, a silent, sympathetic character who asks for nothing but appreciates what he receives. The colorful, distinctive illustrations focus on the two main characters, often surrounded by a profusion of flowers that express the idyllic happiness of their times together. A simply told, emotionally satisfying picture book. —Booklist
Michelle Houts

Michelle Houts holds degrees in special education and speech-language pathology. She is the author of several fiction and nonfiction books for young readers, including the award-winning The Beef Princess of Practical County, The Practical County Drama Queen, and Winterfrost.

Erica Magnus has enjoyed applying her fine art skills as a freelance artist to children's books as author and illustrator, for film and television as concept and creature design artist, and as a teacher. Happily back in Athens County, Ohio, where she raised her daughters, she now works from her Amesville studio. Meadows and woodlands surround her tiny home, where she lives with her first and deepest love, nature.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780593206904
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Flamingo Books
Publication date
August 20, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV025000 - Juvenile Fiction | Lifestyles | Farm Life & Ranch Life
JUV047000 - Juvenile Fiction | Books & Libraries
JUV017030 - Juvenile Fiction | Holidays & Celebrations | Halloween
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Picture books
JUVENILE FICTION / Holidays & Celebrations /
Scarecrows
Literacy

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