#916 of 1001 · February 2, 2023

What if an otherworldly newcomer upended your life? You might be confused, frightened, angry…but this entity might simply be misunderstood. Perhaps a bit of grace and understanding would change everything. @levi_pinfold explores just such a scenario in his elegant and expressive Greenling. Mr. Barleycorn comes across a green baby inside an enormous blossom nestled in a culvert. He brings it home and, much to Mrs. Barleycorn’s chagrin, keeps it. The vegetable-infant hybrid brings about strange phenomena: fruits and flowers begin appearing all over the couple’s house. Mrs. Barleycorn, shaken by the unexpected growth, begins to lose patience with her husband. The plants spread outward, throttling a nearby railroad and earning the wrath of the community. However, Mrs. Barleycorn quickly jumps in to defend their peculiar ward. The people eat the wondrous fruit and are placated. The little green child eventually disappears, leaving the Barleycorns to look to the future and wonder what sort of miracle they might find growing on their land next spring. With elliptical text in common meter and pensive mixed-media illustrations in a muted color palette, Pinfold spins an understated tale of fear, mystery, and miracles. #green #baby #plant #plants #flower #flowers #fruit #fruits #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks