An alphabetical adventure told through the eyes of an old lens
Since I’m trying to write my own books, I’ve joined a bloggers network that gives me the opportunity to review new books. (I have reviewed every book I’ve ever read — just not formally.) This is my first written review.
Farm to Film, written and illustrated by Hannah Miles Pierrou, is an A to Z children’s book told through the “eye of an old lens,” a camera. (It’s the perfect opportunity to explain to your young reader how we once used cameras rather than phones and captured life on film that had to be developed before you could see the results!)
The book is not a collection of photographs, as you might expect. It is, rather, a collection of moments, captured by a camera then transformed by an artist into lively watercolors that make you want to look and look.
You can imagine a young photographer wandering her grandparents’ farm, excited to view moments through the lens of a camera. Rather than collect the alphabet’s worth of animals, she captures objects and insects and buildings, too.
I could imagine reading this with a young child and asking questions such as, “Have you ever seen an alpaca?” (A is for alpaca, in this tale.) Or “What do you think the weather was like during this visit to the farm?” Or simply “A is for?” and engage the child throughout the book that way.
So I was a bit frustrated when I tried reading this lovely book with my 6-year-old grandson, who lives on a farm and felt the need to point out anything in Pierrou’s images that didn’t match his experience. (He has the analytical skills of a promising attorney.) Plus he was more interested in standing on his head than reading at that moment. I took a deep dive into the book alone.
Niko did sit still — on his bottom — with his Uncle Adam long enough to take some photos. After his visit, my daughter and I exchanged some texts:
“How did it go?”
“Great!” I responded. “He didn’t really sit for the book… but he was good.”
“Lol yeah. He’s not the best at sitting unless it’s on his head.”)
That might have been good to know.
Farm to Film is a beautiful first book by Pierrou, and I look forward to reading more by her (with or without Niko). You can purchase the book on Amazon here.
Let’s connect!
I’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments or like this post or follow me. Or all three! You can receive my latest post via a weekly email. Just enter your email address and watch for an email from Sara at All Things Work Together.
All Things Work Together 