Book Title: Smoky Night
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: David Diaz
Publisher: Harcourt Brace and Company
Copyright Date: 1994
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Brief Annotation: Daniel and his mother watch from the window. There is rioting and looting going on in the streets below. Daniel’s mother reassures him, “They’ve finished with our street. They’re moving on.” But she keeps him close, telling him they will sleep together that night. Daniel sleeps with his clothes on and his cat held tight. The rioting hasn’t moved from their street and the night’s sleep is interrupted. But in the midst of turmoil and fear, there is also new-found togetherness.
Your Rating (1-5) and why: 4 – I appreciate the story and the message. The author writes a story about serious issues that is accessible to young children. However, I found the illustrations to be a distraction from the story. This is a story with lots of emotions and I don’t get those feelings from the illustrations. And I find the collage art behind the text pages to be distracting and unpleasant. But this won the Caldecott, so I feel like I’m missing something. Maybe the intention of all that artwork is to add to the sense of confusion and chaos of the night. I’ll be curious to hear others’ reactions.
Readers who will like this book: Young children who will like this story may include children who like stories about real events, like animals, and/or who have experienced something similar – a traumatic event or prejudice.
Question to ask about this book before a read aloud: Can you think of a time when something that started out bad, scary or unpleasant led to something positive? Or a time when you judged someone before you got to really know him or her? Or a time when someone judged you before they got to know you?
Interest Level (age): 4-9
Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 2.5
List awards: Caldecott Medal Winner, ALA Notable Children’s Book, Parents’ Choice Gold Award, A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
No comments:
Post a Comment