The Animal Hedge

by Paul Fleischman, Bagram Ibatoulline (Illustrator)

Newbery Medalist Paul Fleischman’s testament to vision, passion, and destiny is beautifully complemented by folk art-inspired paintings by the virtuoso Bagram Ibatoulline.


There once lived a farmer whose heart
glowed like a hot wood stove with the love of animals.

No one loved animals more than the farmer. All day long, he and his three sons toiled on the farm, singing while they worked. The eldest son favored coachman’s songs; the second son, songs of the sea; the youngest son, tunes about a traveling fiddler; and the farmer, always, songs of the barnyard. But when a terrible drought befalls the land, the farmer must sell his livestock and move to a tiny cottage with only a hedge around it. Though he is heartbroken to lose his animals, he and his sons soon discover something remarkable about their hedge - and something unique about each person who trims its branches.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Juvenile

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Paul Fleischman grew up in Santa Monica, California. The son of well-known children's novelist Sid Fleischman, Paul was in the unique position of having his famous father's books read out loud to him by the author as they were being written. This experience continued throughout his childhood.
Paul followed in his father's footsteps as an author of books for young readers, and in 1982 he released the book "Graven Images", which was awarded a Newbery Honor citation.
In 1988, Paul Fleischman came out with "Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices", an unusually unique collection of poetry from the perspective of insects. This book was awarded the 1989 John Newbery Medal. Factoring in Sid Fleischman's win of the John Newbery Medal in 1987 for his book "The Whipping Boy", Paul and Sid Fleischman became to this day the only father and son authors to both win the John Newbery Medal.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Ok, it's a fairy tale with some interesting logical gaps, but the key plot-lines and themes are authentic and beautiful. And the art is wonderful, with each character being so individual, and aging accurately as time passes. The art looks so much like traditional, I'd swear it was painted on wood, not canvas. Highly recommended.
---
Impulse. Totally forgot I read it before... hm.... Well, even though it's apparently forgettable, I still have the same high opinion.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dear story with beautiful folk art illustrations. I especially liked the frames that looked like carved wood.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet story of a family supporting each others’ dreams. Gorgeous illustrations - it would be worth reading just for them!

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a story about a farmer and his three sons. They planted crops one year but no rain came so nothing grew. Because of this, the father had to sell his precious farm animals. One day the rain finally came and the bushes in the front yard were so long that the farmer had to cut them. He began cutting them into the shapes of his missing animals. One day, he farmers three sons came and brought him the animals he had missed so much and his life was complete.
This is a really cute story and I loved the illustrations. The pictures were so gorgeous and really showcased the moods. It is dull when there is no rain, and then brighter when there is rain again and brightest when the plants are green and the animals are back!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story about following your heart and being kind to others. I especially loved the warm folk-artsy illustrations.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have given this book five stars for the illustrations alone, but the story is almost as good as the remarkable artwork.

A five-star book that I am adding to my "need to buy" list.

[Sara]

The Animal Hedge by Paul Fleischman and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline is a delightful fairy tale about a poor farmer and his three sons. The writing is solid, the story is interesting and pleasing, and the illustration is enchanting. I am shocked that it did not at least get a Caldecott honor (but that may be because it was previously published with a different illustrator)! You can see what did win and get honored in 1997 instead at the Biblioguides Caldecott resource, here.

"There once lived a farmer whose heart glowed like a hot wood stove with the love of animals. His greatest joy was to watch chicks become chickens. And piglets become pigs. And calves become cows. The farmer lived with his three sons. All day long they toiled on the farm, singing while they worked."

But, one year, the rains did not come and the farmer lost his farm. He and his sons moved to a cottage where they made a meager living by sharpening shears.

“One day the farmer happened to notice that the hedge needed trimming. He sharpened his shears and was about to begin, when suddenly he stopped and stared. Part of the hedge seemed to resemble a cow. The farmer stood back and looked again. To the left, he thought he glimpsed a rooster. To the right, he saw a cluster of sheep.”

The farmer went to work using his shears to free the animals from the hedge and once again, the farmer sang as he worked.


When the time came for his first son to leave home and go out in the world, his son asked what he should do. The farmer thought and decided to let the shears give the answer. Day by day they watched the hedge as it grew, waiting for the answer.

“Then one morning, he glanced at it – and ran for the shears.”

When the farmer was through trimming, it was a fine carriage and team of horses. And the son rejoiced in the answer since he had always wanted to be a coachman.


The farmer repeated this with each of his other sons, and never did the hedge fail to give the best answer. And, one by one, the boys left home.

Then, the farmer was lonely. And so, he trimmed the hedge into animals again. Until one day, the boys returned home with a special gift for their father.

This story is truly excellent. I will enjoy re-reading this over the years and cannot wait to put it in the hands of many little patrons.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book includes three sons who have three interests that take them to their life's work. Similar to Anansi's sons. or the 7 Chinese Brothers.

Also, about how, when they became impoverished, the dad sent the sons away, like the mother of the Three Pigs.
Also, includes the great love the sons had for their dad.
And I like that they all sang while they worked.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having lost his farm and animals he loved, a farmer and his three sons moved to a little house with a hedge around it. Through caring for that hedge the farmer found a way to bring back the happiness he'd lost, and he used the hedge to inspire his sons to find the course for their lives. Lovely story and illustrations.

[Becky Larrabee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Contemporary Realistic
Grade: 1-2
This was a good book. I liked how this book helped the readers visualize what living out in the country is like, especially for those who have not seen what a farm looks like. I also liked all of the illustrations throughout the book.

[Robin Obara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the illustrations. Thought the Rorschach/projective hedge was a bit predictable and wish the sons had had more self-direction but ultimately they did, just without awareness. Unclear how the farmer made money after relocating.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple, beautiful story about listening to your gut and finding your calling accompanied by folk art-inspired illustrations.

[Jessica Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the folk art illustrations - very appropriate to the story and makes it shine.

[MQR]

.The effect of this entire book from the narrative to earthtint, feels like a mockery, on multiple levels; of traditional American narrative, folkways/lore, personal/family values, independence/ industry. The blurb miniature was both very minimally and absolutely an apologetic.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story. It's no coincidence that Paul came and sat down beside me as I started reading it and, as a result, I had MY three sons with me as I read. Love

[Leah]

The Animal Hedge is about a farmer’s and his family’s struggle through a tough time in their lives. The book starts out telling the audience about how much this farmer cares for his farm. There was a drought in the land, which caused the family to exhaust their reserve of food. However, this was not enough, so the farmer had to sell his farm. He moved his family to a small cottage for survival. After a while, the rain came again, but the farmer no longer had a farm to tend to, only the land around him. On a later day, he began to trim his hedges, and noticed that the one he was cutting looked like a cow. This gave him the idea to make all of the hedges into animals. As the boys grew up, they told their fathers their new trade by means of a hedge. Once the boys had all grown up, the farmer was alone. Will the farmer ever be able to get a farm again?
The illustrations are done with water color and gauche, and had a general darker color tones. The format of the pictures varied from page to page. Most of the pages had a simple black and white border, save one or two pages which had more decorative borders. However, some of the pages did not have a border at all, but encompassed the whole page. The text was black and fit into the empty spots in the illustrations, expect for a few pages were the text had an elaborate border. Overall, this book had a heartwarming story with detailed pictures to add to the text.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most impressed with the artistry of Bagram Ibatoulline, I've recently read many books with his lush illustrations. He is one of my favorite artists.

In this book, his illustrations are inspired by American Folk Art. The tale is one wherein a farmer loves his animals. He is happy farming his land and tending his goats, chickens, pigs and other creatures. When a severe lack of rain occurs, he looses his farm. He and his three sons find a small plot of land, but there is no money to buy animals nor is there land to toil.

There is a hedge surrounding their small property, and the farmer trims the hedge in the shape of animals. As it becomes necessary for his sons to leave their home and seek their own professions, the farmer tells them to look to the hedge for the shape provided which will direct them toward their future.

One by one they find their vocation. Upon returning, they learn that the shapes were those in their heart. They provide a farm and animals for their father who lives his life in supreme happiness.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an odd book but we enjoyed it. If you want a book that has a perfect story arc, this is it. The stage is set with the introduction of the farmer and his three sons (later talk about the foreshadowing). Then the conflict occurs, the climax, and the resolution. There is a part of the book that is so fantastic (i.e., unrealistic) that it bugged me at first, but then the way it was resolved was so neat that I loved it in the end. The illustrations are quite folksy. I love the use of color. Overall, this is a neat book about finding out who you are and what your purpose is in life.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful story about following your heart. A farmer has three sons and a barnyard full of animals. He loves the animals with all his heart and taking care of them is his greatest joy. But times get tough and he has to sell the animals and the farm. He and his sons move to a small house with a hedge all around it. Soon though this family sees magic in these hedges, as they are able to clip it and shape into their hearts' desires. Readers who enjoyed The Night Gardener by the Fan Brothers will love this narrative and it's wonderfully painted illustrations.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of fantasy, a bit of formulaic sappiness, and a lot of hedge-carving make up this fun story of a mythical farmer and his sons. The artwork carries the story along even through the more predictable parts and ends with the sons honoring their father and his true love. It may inspire some hedge trimming or at least a trip to formal gardens to see some real animal hedges, like maybe Longwood Gardens perhaps.

[Julia Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated book is especially relevant in a farming community, though its message could work anywhere. A farmer who truly loves his animals has to give them up because of a horrible drought. He moves to a little cottage with nothing but some hedges around it. However, the shapes of the hedges inspire him and his three sons and help them find new paths in life.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book purely by merit of its beautiful illustrations. I enjoyed the story of wise parental direction-even during hard times- followed by wise loving children who have grown through their trials.

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful folk art with an inspiring story. A father helps his sons choose their vocations. This story also shows a range of emotions. I highly recommend it!

[Marni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story about following your deepest desires.

[Stephanie]

nice illustrations. Lovely story about giving and loving sacrificially

[Celestia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a darling picture book with a lovely message of how what parents give to the children in the form of inspiration comes back to bless them. Very heartwarming!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story. Good illustrations. The boys (2 and 4 years old) seem to like it pretty well.

[J Kreuz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and surprising read. I may have enjoyed it more than my toddler. I was certainly inspired by the story as well as the excellent artwork. A superb pair!