The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee

In the moment when the clown washes his makeup off and becomes a lost baby, everything changes and the reader becomes totally invested in the relationship between these two disparate characters. Choosing to present this story without words was brilliant, as it makes the reader really examine everything about the characters, from facial expressions to body language and there is so much to discover there. As the train pulls away, they wave to each other, with the baby wearing the farmer’s wide brimmed hat and the farmer wearing the baby’s pointed red hat.Īuthor/illustrator Marla Frazee has published lots of books that showcase her comic side, so I really enjoyed this one, which has a warm and sentimental core. The baby jumps into the farmer’s arms and hugs him and the farmer kisses the baby on head. The clowns on the train are overjoyed to be reunited with their baby. As they’re sitting down to a picnic, they see the circus train in the distance and they run toward it. A growing friendship also shows a more relaxed farmer, attempting to cheer the child up. It is only when the farmer cleans off the clown's makeup a scared child is revealed. Together, they eat breakfast, milk the cow, collect eggs (which the baby juggles) and work in the field. Marla Frazee's magnificent wordless picture book focuses on the facial features of the two characters, a seemingly grumpy, lonely farmer and a joyful clown. In the morning, the farmer makes funny faces at the clown and gets him to smile and to ride on his shoulders. They share dinner and then, when they wash up, the farmer realizes that the baby’s smiling face was just painted on and underneath, he looks vulnerable and a little sad. What will happen when he meets the rest of the circus family Sweet, humorous, and full of emotion, this Marla Frazees stunning trilogy is sure to become a. The clown hugs the farmer and they walk, hand in hand, back to the farmer’s home. He sees something fall from the train and when he wanders over to take a closer look, he discovers a smiling baby clown, with a tall red hat. The farmer is tending to his field and turns to watch a circus train go by. The plot in a nutshell: A farmer cares for a young clown Written and Illustrated by Marla Frazee Beach Lane Books, 2014

The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee