Synopses & Reviews
In 1913, a boat named Karluk, Aleutian for fish,” part of the Canadian Arctic Expedition, became stuck in the Arctic ice. On board were a captain and crew, scientists and explorers, a cat, forty sled dogs, Inupiaq hunters, and an Inupiaq family with two small girls. Even with the Inupiaq and their skills of hunting and sewing, even with the familys care and wisdom, even with the compassion and courage of their captain, odds for survival in the cold, dark Arctic seem against the passengers of the Karluk.
Here is a riveting, unforgettable story, poetically told and exquisitely illustrated with rounded scratchboard art that captures the strength and grace of Inupiaq culture. Details of centuries-old crafts and skills of sewing boots from caribou legs and ugruk skin, of quickly cutting snow houses, of wearing wooden goggles to ward off snowblindness will enrich modern imaginations. And by the storys end, listeners will know something of the way of life in the high north, something of the song of the place, the wide sky, the sound of the wind, the ptarmigan.
Review
"Krommesand#8217;s widening perspective manages to exude both comfort and daring." -- New York Times Book Review and#160; "Here the art is spectacular. Executed in scratchboard decorated in droplets of gold, Krommesand#8217; illustrations expand on Swansonand#8217;s reassuring story (inspired by a nursury rhyme that begins, and#8220;This is the key of the kingdomand#8221;) to create a world as cozy inside a house as it is majestic outside."--Booklist, starred review and#160; "Inspired by traditional cumulative poetry, Swanson weaves a soothing song that is as luminescent and soulful as the gorgeous illustrations that accompany her words. . . . It is a masterpiece that has all the hallmarks of a classic that will be loved for generations to come."--School Library Journal, starred review and#160; "Krommesand#8217;s breathtaking scratchboard illustrations, in black and white with accents of yellow and gold, embody and enhance the textand#8217;s message that light and dark, like comfort and mystery, are not mutually exclusive, but integral parts of each other."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review and#160; "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."--Publishers Weekly, starred review and#160; "...in another standout performance by an illustrator, Beth Krommes makes a case for The House in the Night with scratchboard images that are themselves a throwback, but with a welcome kind of familiarity... I can see a night-skittish child taking comfort in this story at bedtime."-- The Washington Post (online) and#160; "[A] book of stunning visual simplicity . . . The pictures themselves seem to reach out from domesticity toward infinity."--Liz Rosenberg, Boston Sunday Globe and#160; "It's Wanda Gag meets Virginia Lee Burton.and#160; And gorgeous.and#160; Did I mention gorgeous?and#160; Gorgeous."-- Fuse 8 Production (online), by Betsy Bird and#160; "[Swanson] has a lyrical style all her own, complemented by Krommes' starkly stunning scratchpaper drawings."-- StarTribune
Review
"The text's quiet rhythms find perfect resonance in the crisp, idyllic colored scratchboard country scenes. It's a strong picture book debut for Krommes." Kirkus Reviews
Grandmother Winter keeps snow-white geese. During the spring and summer, she collects the feathers released by their flapping wings; come autumn, she stitches the feathers into a lovely white quilt. When she shakes it, snowflakes fall cold from the sky, signaling the beginning of winter. Once the animals (and children) have made ready-snakes coiled in old woodchuck holes, hares in their coats of white, chickadees fluffed up against the cold-Grandmother herself, surrounded by her drowsy geese, snuggles under the quilt to sleep until spring. Root's cadenced text, lyrical and sweet, is nicely matched by Beth Krommes's debut illustrations. Her handsome stylized art, rendered in scratchboard and watercolor, depicts round, motherly forms embellished with figures referring to snow-six-pointed flakes, patterns like frost on a window, the flowing curves of a drift. The many creatures preparing for winter -- bats, worms, frogs, fish, bears, and so on -- are carefully observed as well as decorative. Horn Book
Review
andldquo;An acknowledged master of andldquo;spareandrdquo; and andldquo;poetic,andrdquo; the Newbery Medalist delivers, her words drifting and blowing and coming andrsquo;round to the children who andldquo;love the snow better than anyone else doesandrdquo; in the end.andrdquo; andndash;Kirkus Reviews
andldquo;Snow is not an uncommon subject of picture books, but few have both the grace and exuberance of this lovely collaboration of Rylantandrsquo;s evocative words and Stringerandrsquo;s entrancing paintings.andrdquo;--Booklist, starred review
andquot;Rylant and Stringer (previously paired for Scarecrow) celebrate winter wonderlands in a cozy, lyrical tribute. . . . Like snow, the ending achieves a perfect silence.andquot;--Publishers Weekly
andquot;. . . hymned in Rylant's gentle, rhythmical prose . . . the shining star of this book is really illustrator Lauren Stringer's art, in small panels and double spreads, hallucinatory vivid in pastel shades of pale blue, white, and rose. The acrylic paintings blend the richness of oils with the airiness of watercolor. Stringer's snow is dream snow, childhood's magical snow, which, as Rylant reminds us, is the best-loved snow.andquot;--Boston Globe
Review
"Rylant and Stringer (previously paired for
Scarecrow) celebrate winter wonderlands in a cozy, lyrical tribute. . . . Like snow, the ending achieves a perfect silence.."--
Publishers Weekly (10/6/08)
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. Naming nighttime things that are both comforting and intriguing to preschoolersand#8212;a key, a bed, the moonand#8212;this timeless book illuminates a reassuring order to the universe.
Synopsis
There are planes to fly and buses to catch, but achild uses the power of words, in the form of an invocation, topersuade fate to bring her family a snow day a day slow and unhurried enough to spend at home together. In a spare text that reads as pure song and illustrations of astonishingly beautiful scratchboard art, Sidman and Krommes remind us that sometimes, if spoken from the heart, wishes really can come true."
Synopsis
A Caldecott Medal-winning bedtime classic, available in a board book edition for the first time. Susan Marie Swansonand#8217;s elegant prose and Beth Krommesand#8217;s spectacular illustrations open up a nighttime world where ordinary objects become beautifully illuminated. Images of a key, a toy, a bear, and a book leap from the pages as weand#8217;re reminded that even when night arrives, the sunand#8217;s warm light never truly leaves us. 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 preschoolersand#8212;a key, a bed, the moonand#8212;this timeless book illuminates a reassuring order to the universe.
Synopsis
All through the spring, summer and fall, Grandmother Winter tends her geese and gathers their feathers. Why? To bring snowfall, of course-snowfall as soft as feathers and bright as a winter moon. With a poetic text and distinctive scratchboard illustrations, this book reveals that there is indeed magic and charm in our coldest season. To the woodland and all of its creatures-from round mice curling up and earthworms tunneling down to black bears burrowing and children dreaming of snow angels and sleds-the arrival of winter is, quite simply, a gift.
Synopsis
Just this once, schedules are swept aside as a too busy world suddenly revels in the freedom and peace of the snow. The joy and wonder of a snowy day is brought to new life in this destined-to-be-a-classic picture book from Newbery Honor author, Joyce Sidman, and Caldecott winning artist, Beth Krommes.
and#160;
Synopsis
Soft snow. Heavy snow. Light snow. Fat snow. Which one do you love best?
Synopsis
Cynthia Rylantandrsquo;sand#160;lyricaland#160;descriptions of the sights and feelings evoked by falling snow blend gorgeously withand#160;the rich andand#160;beautiful world created by Lauren Stringerandrsquo;sand#160;illustrations, in which a young girl, her friend, and her grandmother enjoy the many things a snowy day has to offer.
Synopsis
There are planes to fly and buses to catch, but a small child wishes for a different sort of day in this striking picture book. When clouds gather and heavy flakes begin to fall, her invocation comes true. As a too-busy world falls silent, a family revels in the freedom and peace of a snow day.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; In a spare text that reads as pure song and illustrations of astonishingly beautiful scratchboard art, Sidman and Krommes remind us that sometimes, if spoken from the heart, wishes really can come true.and#160;and#160;and#160;
About the Author
Jacqueline Briggs Martin is the author of Snowflake Bentley, winner of the 1999 Caldecott Medal, 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. She lives in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.