PICTURE BOOKS
Swanson, Susan Marie. 2008. THE HOUSE IN NIGHT. Ill. by Beth Krommes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company
ISBN: 9780618862443
This 2009 Caldecott Medal winner is a rhythmic picture book reminiscent of GOODNIGHT MOON, by Maragaret Wise Brown. The author's inspiration for the patterened verse came from an old nursery rhyme that begins, "This is the key to the kingdom, In that kingdom is a city...". The story's rhyming chain begins:
"Here is the key to the house,
In the house burns a light,
In that light rests a bed,
On that bed waits a book."
The illustrations portray a family returning home and the father handing the house key to a young girl. She enters the house and goes into her room and begins reading the book on the bed. She joins the bird in the book and wraps her arms around his neck for an imaginary night time flight "all about the starry dark". They fly to the moon and back and return to the book, on the bed, in the light, in the house.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Swanson's cumulative verse sets the stage, but Beth Krommes scratchboard illustrations provide the narrative for this book. Her work has the black and white semblance of wood block prints, with the addition of a single color: a warm, marigold yellow. This one color supplies the illumination of the light from the house, the light of the sun reflected by the moon, and the twinkling stars drawn in snowflake-like patterns. Young children may not appreciate the (almost) monochromatic illustrations, but older children with a little more patience would respect the intricate details of the drawings. The circular flow of events creates a calming composition ideal for a bedtime read.
REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Starred review: Booklist, April 15, 2008
"A beautiful piece of bookmaking that will delight both parents and children."
Starred review: School Library Journal, April 2008
"It is a masterpiece that has all the hallmarks of a classic that will be loved for generations to come."
Starred review: Publisher's Weekly, May 12, 2008
"This volume's artful simplicity, homely wisdom and quiet tone demonstrate the interconnected beauty and order of the world in a way that both children and adults will treasure."
CONNECTIONS:
*Other books for children with bedtime themes or cumulative story patterns:
Averbeck, Jim. IN A BLUE ROOM. ISBN: 978015205992X
Jonas, Ann. ROUND TRIP. ISBN: 9780688099862
Thompson, Lauren and Jonathan Bean. THE APPLE PIE THAT PAPA BAKED. ISBN: 9781416912408
Whitford, Paul and David Walker. IF ANIMALS KISSED GOOD NIGHT. ISBN: 9780374380519
*Book would be useful in teaching the concepts of prepositional phrases and inverted sentence structure in English grammar.
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