Tuttle's Red Barn Release Party

    Tuttle’s Red Barn, the new children’s book by Richard Michelson and Caldecott Medalist Mary Azarian, had its publication party on Sunday September 23rd, at the site of the original Tuttle’s Red Barn in Dover New Hampshire. Hundred’s of people lined up in the greenhouse to meet the author and illustrator, and Rich and Mary signed every copy of the ONE THOUSAND books on hand in a non-stop four hour session.  Many people bought more than one copy of the book, often four or five, as they stocked up on gifts and shared stories of grandparents, parents, or children who have worked, shopped, or just loved to visit the Red Barn over the decades.

Will Tuttle and his sister Lucy, the 11th generation of Tuttle’s to own the land, were on hand, as were their children.  The Tuttle farm is the oldest family farm in America. In a starred review, Kirkus Review says:

      So far, 12 generations have lived on what became America's oldest family farm, and each learns, grows and adds their experiences in this chronicle of a farm and family…-Michelson also relates American history as it affects each set of occupants through their eyes, covering tension between the settlers and Indians, the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, the Underground Railroad, the changing economy, the appearance of the first automobile and the development of the current store. Azarian's signature woodcut prints add an appropriately warm and folkloric touch… a flawless work-recommended for both home and school reading.

Publishers Weekly in their starred review writes:      

"Michelson (Too Young for Yiddish) and Caldecott Medalist Azarian (Snowflake Bentley) salute 12 generations of Tuttles from Dover, N.H., operators of the longest continuously running family farm in the country … Azarian’s hand-crafted aesthetic enhances the story’s warmth and humanity, while the sophisticated tints and bold outlines intensify the unalloyed beauty, reassuring rhythms and beguiling fecundity of rural farm life." 

Mary Azarian and Richard Michelson will continue to your throughout New England, and you can follow them at www.tuttletour.info