Bess the Barn Stands Strong
Page Street Kids, September 8th, 2020. Illustrated by Katie Hickey
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.
* “A true storyteller, Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia gives Bess life with literary gilding…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
“There’s a marvelous mix of peppy text and bone-deep comfort at work within the language of this story… [and] visual treasures abound in the corners of the art… Seasons come and seasons go, but cozy concepts like barns on farms will never ever die.” — Kirkus Reviews