The House in the Night

Caldecott Medal Award Winner 2009

Citation:

The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson.  Illus. By Beth Krommes. (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008). 36p. Traditional Picture Book.

Summary:

A young girl discovers a book that takes her on a journey and returns her at bedtime.

Critique:

a.         The scratchboard illustrations use white, black, and yellow to create an imaginative and bedtime feeling.

b.         The illustrator’s choice of colors enhances the story and the feeling that it creates.  It is effective in creating a calming atmosphere that is perfect as a bedtime story.

c.         “the house in the night, a home full of light” (p. 35- 36) is the picture perfect ending that brings the story to a close.

Curriculum Connection:  

The House in the Night would be a nice story to be used in an art class where focus colors are used.  This story can also support a science connection to address nighttime.