Hello dear friends! I hope you all had a lovely long Labor Day weekend and are well-rested – you are going to need to sing a strong Happy Book Birthday for this wonderful new picture book by Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia: BESS THE BARN STANDS STRONG.
Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday, dear BESS THE BARN! Happy Birthday to you!
BESS THE BARN STANDS STRONG
Written by Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia
Illustrated by Katie Hickey
Published by Page Street Kids (TODAY! September 8, 2020)
Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
A steadfast old barn shows she’s sturdy enough to save the day.
Beam by beam and board by board, Bess the barn is built by able hands to keep the farm’s animals safe and sound. Through many seasons and celebrations, that’s just what she does, until she starts to sag…and creak…and slump. Then new everything comes along: a new farmer and a shiny new barn. A mean storm arrives not far behind, putting both barns to a dangerous test―can old Bess weather this threat to the farm?
Bess opens her doors wide, welcoming all to celebrate the year-round ups and downs of farm life and admire the enduring strength and importance of something made to last.
And here’s an early STARRED review from BookPage:
“A true storyteller, Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia gives Bess life with literary gilding; there’s repetition, imagery, personification and more. The prose flows, poetic and brusque by turns, as the finely wrought story oh-so-delicately addresses the concept of passing on… Bess the Barn Stands Strong reminds us that love shelters us through all storms. – BookPage, starred review
And here’s a link to the author’s website and a post about how the story came to be.
I love this story! And I love that, even with the health crisis and the crazy world we are living in, authors, illustrators, and editors are committed to continuing to create beautiful books. Please remember that we can all contribute to the success of books we love by buying them, reviewing them ,telling friends about them, and asking our local libraries to add them to their collections.
Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway if you’d like a chance to win a copy…author Elizabeth is generously offering TWO copies…so we will have TWO WINNERS! Why not share a time when you had to stand strong?
I hope you all have a wonderful week…and be sure to return on Friday and Saturday when we will be featuring two more brand-new picture books.
Love the perspective of this book since I grew up on a dairy farm.
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You are so kind! Thank you!
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I grew up in the country and have always loved old barns. So I love it that Elizabeth focuses this story on the life of a barn. It’s been on my must-read list since I first heard about it. Can’t wait to read it!
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Thank you so much, Carolyn! I, too, grew up out in the country and have loved barns since I was a child. As a child, I thought the barns were singing to me because the wind blowing through their boards. This is where Bess’s sweet singing that calms the animals comes from in the story. Hope you enjoy it!!
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I can’t wait to read this!
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Thank you so much, Andrew! I hope you enjoy it!
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Always love farm books and really love that this one is different from the rest. Thanks for sharing!
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Oh, Lynn Marie! Thank you! You know I tried to write from the usual perspectives – the farmer… one of the animals… but it was Bess that kept charging to the forefront of my story and I am so glad she did. Thanks again for reading!
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I love old barns. There’s one in my forthcoming mid grade novel The Girl From the Attic. Lots of important interactions in it. But it remained unnamed. Perhaps it could have been a a Bernard, big and sturdy.
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I love that you have a barn in your MG. They are an integral part of farm life. And love the name Bernard. 😉
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I have been intrigued by old barns ever since reading Linda Oatman High’s Barn Savers. Looking forward to this book!
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Oh this is so wonderful, Rose! Thank you so much!
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I love old barns! I can’t wait to read this one. Congratulations! And thanks for the post!
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You are so kind!! Thanks so much, Elizabeth! I have loved barns since I was a little girl. Hope you enjoy BESS!
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Book looks great! Hope I can read it to my twins!
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Thank you so much, Zachary!
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This sounds beautiful! Can’t wait to read it!
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Oh, Shannon! Thank you! I hope you enjoy BESS!
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I love anthropomorphizing barns!! I used to spend hour playing in my grandpa’s hayloft!
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Mary! You are so sweet! And, me too! One of my favorite things to do was to take food (usually milk, bread crusts, and such) to feed barn kitties who were usually playing in the hayloft. Thanks so much for reading!
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As a farm girl, I’ve always loved barns–especially ones built with love and care like Bess! I’m so excited for your gorgeous book to be out in the world, Liz! Happy book birthday!! ❤
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Ooohhh, my sweet friend!! Thank you! It is so exciting to know BESS is now out in the world. Thanks again for all of your support!!❤️
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Always!! ❤
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This sounds wonderful, exactly what we need. Happy Birthday!
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You are so kind, Nancy! Thank you! I hope you enjoy BESS as much I enjoyed writing it.
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A time when I had to stand strong was when my parents told me they didn’t want to see me again because of past things my children did or did not do. This turning point in my life freed me from all the guilt trips I’d let them pile on top of me instead of them accepting responsibility for their own actions.
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Thank you so much for sharing this, Danielle. You’ve helped more people than you can imagine. When people withhold their love as ransom for one thing or another, it takes a lot of strength to walk away. I’m glad you had the courage.
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Wishing your continued courage and strength, Danielle. ❤️
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Congratulations, Elizabeth! I have so many fun memories of the barn on our farm growing up. This sounds wonderful! Can’t wait to read it.
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Thank you so much, Kim! Bess was created out of all of my wonderful childhood memories of barns and growing up in the rural Midwest. I hope you enjoy it!
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Love the illustrations, love the text and concept, love the animals! Oh, and love the double book give away opportunity.
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Aren’t the illustrations amazing, Lynn? Katie Hickey’s artwork is gorgeous throughout the story! So glad you stopped by!!
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This makes me think of the old barn on my Grandmother’s farm. It always seemed like if I stood close enough and sneezed it would fall down yet it was there for many years! Congratulations, Elizabeth. I can’t wait to read your book!
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Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful memory of your grandmother’s barn. And thank you so much for the kind words, Judy! I hope you enjoy BESS!❤️
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Whether our young readers realize it as much as those of us who read to them might, aging gracefully is both a challenge and a privilege. I look forward to reading how your barn reflects the process of aging.
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Oh, Carmela! Isn’t that the truth – it is both a challenge and a privilege. In BESS, she triumphs in the end showing that with love all storms can be weathered. Thanks so much for sharing! Hope you enjoy BESS!
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Congratulations, Elizabeth! I live in the country, and we have some beautiful old barns. I’m off to your website to see read more about your book. xo
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Thank you so much! I have loved barns since my childhood. Hope you enjoy reading BESS!❤️
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Congratulations! I’m looking forward to reading this book. I can tell it’s going to be delightful! Thanks for the post.
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Oh, Sarah! Thanks so much for your kind words! I hope you enjoy reading BESS as much as Katie and I loved creating it!❤️
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I love barns! I think I will really enjoy this story of a barn, from the viewpoint of the barn. In the space of 2 years, my husband and I lost my father, his mother, and then my mother. We both had to stand strong and endure the storms of loss and grief. I think maybe we are weathered a bit more, just like the barn. 🙂
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Thank you so much for sharing how adversity and loss weathered you…and how you and your hubby stood strong, like Bess. Sending all good wishes, dear Angie.
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