Author/Illustrator: Susan Marie Swanson/Beth Krommes
Plot Summary: With a black and white "scratchboard" design, yellow shading helps the objects on the page come alive as the story is told. Using repetitive verses, the story describes a young girl going in to a house, getting ready for bed and then dreaming of flying out and away.
Comments: This book would appeal to pre-school children as well as beginning readers. I would recommend it to beginning readers as the illustrations make it much more interesting than the typical early reader books. Parents should expect to read it over and over and over again to children ages two through four as it is just that type of book. Would I read it as a story to early elementary students? Probably only with an art project as an extension - see below.
Extensions:
1. Along with the art teacher, kindergarden or first grade students could create simple scratchboard designs depicting their favorite parts of the book or other household items that were not included.
2. A website featuring a Scratchboard Art Gallery for, and by, children provides additional examples.
Themes(keywords): picture book, easy book, pre-school
Age/reading level: Interest level - K-1: Follett - 1.7
GPS:
SKE1 - Students will describe time patterns (such as day to night and night to day) and objects (such as sun, moon, stars) in the day and night sky.
ISBN: 978-0-618-86244-3
Reviews/Awards: List taken from author's website
- The 2009 Randolph Caldecott Medal
- Starred review: Kirkus
- Starred review: Booklist
- Starred review: The School Library Journal
- Starred review: Publishers Weekly
- A Junior Library Guild Premiere Selection
- 2008 Parents' Choice Approved
- AARP Books for Grandparents
- Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2008
- Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Books of 2008
- New York Public Library's Children's Books 2008: 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
- San Francisco Chronicle's Best Holiday Books for Young Readers
- ABC Best Books for Children
- 2008 Booklist Top of the List - Youth Picture Book
- CJ 1st Picture Book Festival, Seoul, Korea
- Minnesota Book Award for Children's Literature
Genre/Dewey: Fiction/Easy
Websites:
http://www.bethkrommes.com/illustration/the-house-in-the-night
Vocabulary: N/A
Comments