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Original Essays | November 9, 2009

Jesse Bullington: IMG Abash'd the Devil Stood



I don't believe in evil. It's a word I use, certainly, because words are shortcuts and we all take the short way round from time to time, but that's... Continue »
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The House in the Night

by Susan Marie Swanson and Beth Krommes

The House in the Night Cover

Awards

Winner of the 2009 Randolph Caldecott Medal

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A spare, patterned text and glowing pictures explore the origins of light that make a house a home in this bedtime book for young children. Naming nighttime things that are both comforting and intriguing to preschoolers — a key, a bed, the moon — this timeless book illuminates a reassuring order to the universe.

Review:

"Using only a few graceful words per page to illuminate the dark, this bedtime gem shines its light clearly on things that matter — a home filled with books, art, music and ever-present love. Krommes's (The Lamp, the Ice, and a Boat Called Fish) astonishing illustrations are so closely intertwined with the meticulous text that neither can be isolated without a loss of meaning. The book begins, intriguingly, '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.' That book takes the child reader up into the skies and back home again, to sleep ('dark in the song, song in the bird, / bird in the book, book on the bed'). Krommes's black-and-white scratchboard illustrations are as delicate and elegant as snowflakes, and she uses a single color, a marigold, to bring warmth to both home and stars. 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. Ages 3 — 6." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"A beautiful piece of bookmaking that will delight both parents and children." Booklist (Starred Review)

Review:

"This picture book will make a strong impression on listeners making their first acquaintance with literature. It is a masterpiece that has all the hallmarks of a classic that will be loved for generations to come." School Library Journal

Review:

"Krommes's breathtaking scratchboard illustrations, in black and white with accents of yellow and gold, embody and enhance the text's message that light and dark, like comfort and mystery, are not mutually exclusive, but integral parts of each other." Kirkus Reviews

Synopsis:

A spare, patterned text and glowing pictures explore the origins of light that make a house a home, in this bedtime book for young children. Full color.

About the Author

Inspired by the pattern of a traditional poem handed down over decades ("This is the key to the kingdom"), Susan Marie Swanson wrote this poem about the comfort of night and home. she is an award-winning poet and the author of several children's books. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she often works in the schools as a poet-in-residence.

Beth Krommes is the illustrator of several award-winning books. She draws and reads and dreams in a tall house among the pines and maples of Peterborough, New Hampshire, where she lives with her family.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780618862443
Author:
Susan Marie Swanson and Beth Krommes
Publisher:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)
Illustrator:
Krommes, Beth
Author:
Swanson, Susan Marie
Author:
Krommes, Beth
Subject:
Dwellings
Subject:
Night
Subject:
General
Subject:
Bedtime & Dreams
Subject:
Bedtime Stories
Subject:
General Juvenile Fiction
Edition Description:
Trade Cloth
Publication Date:
May 2008
Binding:
Hardcover
Grade Level:
from P to 1
Language:
English
Illustrations:
, Y
Pages:
38
Dimensions:
10.24x7.95x.44 in. .87 lbs.
Children's Book Type:
Picture / Wordless
Age Level:
07-10

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