(amazon.com)
Bibliographic Information:
Swanson, Susan Maire. 2008. THE HOUSE IN THE NIGHT. Ill. by Beth Krommes. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN: 978-0618862443
Plot and Critical Analysis
This story begins with a young girl being given a key to a house and how with that key to this house she is led to individual objects both inside and outside of her house. This relation between objects and how they collectively create the positive warmth of the home, as shown by the selective "light" through the illustrations, offers an idea of the "big picture" of connectivity in the world. With the text and carefully chosen objects in yellow on an all black and white page, both the message and those carefully selected objects create a sense of warmth to this house that is dark in the night. Objects such as teddy bears, books, the sun, dolls, flowers, and animals are illuminated with the one bright color of Krommes' illustrations.
This book is geared to younger children as seen by both the simplicity of the text and its rhythmic focus on the full story's cycle (key-house-light-bed-book-bird....-sun-moon, then moon-sun....bird-book-bed-light-house-key) and felt like Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown) with the repetitive and familiar language, involved in the comfort of the the child's bedtime routine. Children of various ages can recognize the rhythm as well as the objects used in both the text and the illustration. The resulting familiarity can assist not only in their understanding of the plot, but also recognizing the same objects in their own room and home. Of course the obvious warmth of the home is shown by the light in the illustrations, made even stronger by excluding all color but yellow. It is a quick read with both soothing imagery and words and one that a parent would happily read and one that a child would sit through.
Awards and Reviews
ALA Notable Children's Books - Young Readers Category, 2009
Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth - Young Readers Category, 2008
Caldecott Medal, 2009.
Minnesota Book Awards: Children's Books, 2009.
Oprah's Kids' Reading Lists - New Releases: 3-to-5 Years
Booklist, Starred Review:
A young girl is given a golden key to a house. “In the house / burns a light. / In that light / rests a bed. On that bed / waits a book.” And so continues this simple text, which describes sometimes fantastical pleasures as a bird from the book spirits the child through the starry sky to a wise-faced moon. The cumulative tale is a familiar picture-book conceit; the difference in success comes from the artwork. Here, the art is spectacular. Executed in scratchboard decorated in droplets of gold, Krommes’ illustrations expand on Swanson’s reassuring story (inspired by a nursery rhyme that begins, “This is the key of the kingdom”) to create a world as cozy inside the house as it is majestic outside. The two-page spread depicting rolling meadows beyond the home, dotted with trees, houses, barns, and road meeting the inky sky, is mesmerizing. The use of gold is especially effective, coloring the stars and a knowing moon, all surrounded with black-and-white halos. A beautiful piece of bookmaking that will delight both parents and children
(Cooper, Ilene. Booklist, vol 104, number 16, p46)
Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review:
Inspired by traditional cumulative poetry, Swanson weaves a soothing song that is as luminescent and soulful as the gorgeous illustrations that accompany her words. A journey both humble and epic begins with a key to a house. "Here is the key to the house. In the house burns a light. In that light rests a bed…." In the bedroom of the house, a girl reads a book in which a bird "breathes a song…all about the starry dark." Swanson's poem then takes readers on a flight across the night sky to the realm of the moon and sun, then back along the path to the key that marked the beginning of the journey. Krommes's folk-style black-and-white etchings with touches of yellow-orange make the world of the poem an enchanted place. Patches of light and shadow give shape to the darkness, while smiling celestial bodies populate the potentially lonely night with their friendly warmth. 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.
(Staff. Publishers Weekly, vol 255, issue 19, p53)
(CALS.org. Central Arkansas Library System. NoveList Plus. 11 June 2010. <
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=261231&site=novp-live>)
Connections:
Developmentally, a toddler and preschool aged child would benefit from the repetitive text as well as the monosyllabic words. Also, a younger child would identify the distinctive illustrations by the contrast of black and white illustrations more so than other children's books that are very colorful. Both the familiarity (repetition) and clear identification (illustrations)would increase a child's involvement with this story as the majority of this story uses the final word of the previous page to begin the next page. A child can repeat the short words as he/she is being read to and can clearly point to recognized objects in the illustrations.
A librarian could also incorporate this book into a themed storytime of "Goodnight" style of books or even using it as a final story for an evening storytime to subtly draw the program to an end. A parent would benefit from reading this book at the end of a bedtime routine as the plot is one about sleep and books and could incorporate storytime into a daily routine. Picture books that provide patterns are enjoyable and age appropriate both in development as well as the young child's attention span. The artistry of black and white, with only a glimmer of light could easily be a style a preschooler could mimic, thus adding a simple activity to the story.
Similar Readings:
Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown): Similar bedtime repetition and black and white illustrations
Time for Bed (Mem Fox): Similar rhythmic text focused on going to sleep
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