#921 of 1001 · February 7, 2023

What if your mundane routine were upended by the arrival of someone completely unexpected? @marlafrazee creates a quietly charming and deeply human character study in The Farmer and the Clown. The wordless book opens on a wide, lonely plain. A dour farmer, in the midst of tilling the soil, sees a train go by in the distance…and someone falls off the back. He makes his way over to the tracks and discovers a child in white clown makeup. The two return to the farmer’s house, where they gradually form a close bond. By the time the train returns with the clown’s relieved family, the new friends find it difficult to say goodbye. As parting gifts, they trade hats. Unbeknownst to the farmer, however, he has gained more than a new piece of headwear—at the close of the story, a circus monkey has hopped off the train and is following him home. Frazee’s black pencil and gouache illustrations depict the subtle evolution of the relationship between the title characters from uncertainty to trust to loving friendship. The farmer’s long white beard and black pants and the clown’s Pierrot-style ruff and pointed cap make for a delightful visual contrast. #farmer #clown #train #friend #friends #friendship #love #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks