Matt Phelan is the illustrator of many books for young readers, including Always by Ann Stott and The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, winner of the 2007 Newbery Medal. The Storm in the Barn is his first graphic novel. He lives in Pennsylvania.
Superb graphic-novel evocation of childhood’s yearning and
triumphs. Phelan turns every panel of this little masterpiece into
a spare and melancholy window into another era, capturing an
unmistakable sense of time and place… All the more impressive is
how he balances fleet pacing (thanks to low word density) with a
thoughtful, contemplative homage to storytelling and storytellers,
which, in the tradition of the greatest tall tales, presents an
empowering message that all a child needs to change the world is
courage and ingenuity.
—Booklist (starred review)
A thoughtful, contemplative homage to storytelling and
storytellers, which, in the tradition of the greatest tall tales,
presents an empowering message that all a child needs to change the
world is courage and ingenuity.
—Booklist (starred review)
Children can read this as a work of historical fiction, a piece of
folklore, a scary story, a graphic novel, or all four.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
The spare, sketchy lines and soft washes of the mixed-media
illustrations underscore the haziness of the dust-filled air…Phelan
sensitively conveys the growing despair of the community as they
watch their land languish…With its appealing format and touch of
fantasy, this tale of coming of age in hard times will entice
readers who may otherwise be indifferent to historical fiction.
—Bulletin of the Center of Children’s Books (starred review)
Measured, masterful panel pacing….use of color is simply
stunning…potent subtext informs both Jack’s climactic showdown with
the rain figure and the book’s tender, triumphant resolution.
—The Horn Book (starred review)
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