Mary Azarian – illustratör

From the time he was a small boy, Wilson Bentley saw snowflakes as small miracles. And he determined that one day his camera would capture for others the wonder of the tiny crystal. Bentley's enthusiasm for photographing snowflakes was often misunderstood in his time, but his patience and determination revealed two important truths: no two snowflakes are alike; and each one is startlingly beautiful. His story is gracefully told and brought to life in lovely woodcuts, giving children insight into a soul who had not only a scientist's vision and perseverance but a clear passion for the wonders of nature. "Of all the forms of water the tiny six-pointed crystals of ice called snow are incomparably the most beautiful and varied." -- Wilson Bentley. Snowflake Bentley won the 1999 Caldecott Medal. AUTHOR Jacqueline Briggs Martin is the author of Snowflake Bentley and The Lamp, the Ice, and the Boat Called Fish, an ALA Notable Book, a Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book, Riverbank Review Finalist, Notable Social Studies Trade book and winner of The Golden Kite Award for Illustration. She grew up on a farm in Maine much like the one in this story. AGES 5-8 GRADES K-3

Before we eat, many people work very hard—planting grain, catching fish, tending farm animals, and filling crates of vegetables. With vibrant illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Mary Azarian, this book reminds us what must happen before food gets to our tables to nourish our bodies and spirits.This expanded edition of Before We Eat includes back-of-book features about school gardens and the national farm-to-school movement.Fountas & Pinnell Level L

Milk doesn’t just appear in the refrigerator, nor do apples grow in the fruit bowl. Before we eat, many people work very hard—planting grain, catching fish, tending animals, filling crates and stocking shelves.

A beautiful New England Christmas story in the tradition of Dylan Thomas’ remembrance, A Child’s Christmas in Wales.In December of 1940, twelve-year-old Donnie Hall gets on a train from his comfortable Connecticut home to fulfill a dream: to spend Christmas with his grandparents on their farm on Eagle Pond in south central New Hampshire.Once there, he settles into the routines he knows well from his summer visits: helping Gramps milk the cows, gathering eggs from the henhouse, chopping wood for the Glenwood in the kitchen. But some things had changed.Winter milk was now picked up not by sleighs drawn by work horses on snow-packed roads, but by gasoline powered trucks. The fancy old red sleigh that had served the family so well was languishing, abandoned in a stall in the barn, and, not far from it, Old Riley, the loyal horse that had pulled that sleigh, and much else, for a quarter century. Donnie arrives on a Sunday and is due to leave on Thursday. But Wednesday night, the nor’easter blows in and the farm is buried in two feet of snow. The road is unplowed; the car is useless. Will Donnie make it to the station in time to catch the train back to Boston?All this never happened. Donald Hall never did spend a childhood Christmas at Eagle Pond. But he knew all the stories from his mother and his grandparents and, now in his eighties, and having lived in that same house of his grandparents since 1975, he is in the perfect position to give himself “the thing I most wanted, a childhood Christmas at Eagle Pond.”

An alphabet book for families that lovingly celebrates traditional rural New England life, all the way from A to Z. “No matter where children live – on a farm, in the suburbs or the city – they will love this handsome book.”—Smithsonian MagazineBefore she became a renowned children’s book illustrator and printmaker, Mary Azarian was a teacher in one of Vermont’s last one-room schoolhouses. In the late 1970s, the state board of education commissioned her to create “a farmer’s alphabet” to provide balance in the classroom and provide rural children with reflections of their own lives. Those woodcuts, in bold, red-and-black, became this book, A Farmer’s Alphabet.In rustic images that evoke the sights and sounds of daily life on a farm—with its chores, animals, and gardens: A is for Apple, being picked fresh from a tree. D is for Dog, asleep in a cozy armchair. J is for the Jump kids make into a hay mound. N is for Neighbor to chat with across a picket fence. Z is for Zinnia flowers and, of course, F is for Farm.This oversized book, perfect for sharing, represents a side of life rarely seen in children’s books—a realistic view of a working farm as it provides an alphabetical view for children of country life.

Story-poems of rural Maine, of neighbors, of seasons, and of life lived slowly and fully.Kate Barnes wrote wise and moving verse as Robert Creeley said, “of a deep and heartfelt clarity.” She lived and wrote on a farm in Appleton, Maine and was the state’s first Poet Laureate. Her poems contain wisdom gently imparted as life lessons. You’ll feel a sense of connection from her work – a connection with the past, with the earth, with her friends, and with the human condition superbly defined.

Stay in touch with country and city dwelling friends by writing them a note inside these rural-themed greeting cards by New England illustrator extraordinaire, Mary Azarian.A handwritten note, on good paper and contained in a classy envelope, says something about the sender and is more welcomed, absorbed, and remembered than an e-mail.Each box contains twelve cards and matching envelopes. The outside of each card features one of six farm scenes from Mary Azarian’s collection of prints, A Farmer’s Alphabet (each image is repeated twice). There are apples being picked from a tree, a dog asleep in a cozy armchair, kids jumping into a hay mound, neighbors chatting over a picket fence, long underwear worn in front of an old wood stove, and the scenic view of a farm amongst the hills.The inside of each card is blank and ready for your message.Mary Azarian created the prints for A Farmer’s Alphabet while a teacher in one of Vermont’s last one-room schoolhouses. In the late 1970s, the state board of education commissioned her to create a rural alphabet, a series of bold red-and-black woodcut prints featuring the letters, A to Z, and depicting scenes from Vermont life. Published as a book by Godine, Smithsonian Magazine said, “No matter where children live – on a farm, in the suburbs or the city – they will love this handsome book.” The Boston Globe said, “A beautiful gift; a treasure to own.”