Jacki Kellum

A Home in the Barn
by Margaret Wise Brown,
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

“Here is the barn
Hear the wind rattle
Open the door
And see all the cattle

Outside in the cold
Hear the wind rattle
Stay in the barn
Keep warm with the cattle.

“The field mice came creeping out of a hole
from out of the field, where they had lived all summer and all fall.
It was time for them to move out of their little grass nests in the field
and into the big warm barn.”

“The breath of the horses rose like smoke in the cold air
And the winter wind told them it was time to move into the big warm barn.” …

“Moooooo
A cow had a calf.
‘Winter Morn will be her name,’ said Jonathan the farmer….

“Here is the barn
Hear the wind rattle
Outside in the cold
The winter had come whistling in.
Whooooo ….

“… with so many animals  all close together in the barn,
it was quite warm.

“Outside int eh cold
Hear the wind rattle
Come to the barn
Keep warm with the cattle.”

Text by Margaret Wise Brown, author of Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny
Brown died in 1952, and the story was not published until 2018, when the master illustrator Jerry Pinkney brought it to life.

I highly recommend Mac Barnett’ s biography of Margaret Wise Brown

The Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett – Picture Book Daily

Picture Books by Margaret Wise Brown – Listed in the Order of Their Publication