Bright Winter Night
Description
From School Library Journal PreS-Gr 2-Rhyming couplets tell the tale of a diverse assemblage of forest animals sharing a magical winter night. Working as a team, a stag, bear, beaver, squirrel, mouse, rabbits, birds, and wolves all cooperate in constructing a sled: "Together they have built this sleigh, no one hunter, no one prey." They put together the comfortable, iconic winter vehicle in order to travel to a forest clearing where they can participate in another group activity-reveling in the dazzling show of the northern lights. Watercolor, both paint and pencil, along with digital media, create a mainly blue and white color scheme with touches of brown, pink, and gray. The animal's names are all in capital letters, and the placement of the poetic text varies from page to page throughout. Rounded, cartoon-style creatures have eyes reminiscent of Jon Klassen's Bear and cooperate harmoniously as a Peaceable Kingdom-type of community. VERDICT This winter tale would work well for dusky afternoon story hours in December or a bedtime story; the muted illustrations and the text, which has a perfect scan and beat, begin energetically but slow to soothing, steady levels as the animals settle down to sleep.-Maryann H. Owenα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. “Destined to be a favorite bedtime read-aloud.” ― Kirkus Reviews “Awash in shades of purple, blue, and pink, [Ashling] Lindsay’s watercolor and digital artwork project the magic evoked by Brydon’s smooth rhymes, illuminating a magnetic portrait of woodland camaraderie.” ― Publishers Weekly “This winter tale would work well for dusky afternoon story hours in December or a bedtime story; the muted illustrations and the text, which has a perfect scan and beat, begin energetically but slow to soothing, steady levels as the animals settle down to sleep.” ― School Library Journal “With a truly lyrical text by author/storyteller Alli Brydon and the sparkling artwork by artist/illustrator Ashling Lindsay, Bright Winter Night is a celebration of the joy and beauty of nature and the special gift of friendship and togetherness.” ― Midwest Book Review Author Alli Brydon is inspired by natural wonders and what they can teach us, and she strives to bring that magic to the books she writes for children. Recent picture books include Lobstah Gahden , illustrated by EG Keller, and Love Around the World , illustrated by Wazza Pink. She also writes nonfiction about creatures, from insects to lemurs to humans. Alli holds an MFA in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College in New York and lives in England with her family. Learn more at www.allibrydon.com. Ashling Lindsay is an artist and writer from Belfast, Ireland. Her picture books are published in more than ten languages and have received various awards and accolades, including a nomination for the Kate Greenaway Medal; being shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Klaus Flugge Prize, and the Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year; and being longlisted for the UKLA Book Awards. In 2020 she was awarded the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Honour Award for Illustration with her book The Tide , written by Clare Helen Welsh. Learn more at www.ashlinglindsay.co.uk. Read more
Features & Highlights
- The forest calls, and creatures come:
- big and small, one by one.
- They sense there is a task to do
- as night descends, replacing blue.
- On one bright winter night, a group of woodland creatures emerges from the forest. Despite their differences, they start to build something together, using items found on the forest floor. What are they making? And how quickly can they build it? Something special is happening tonight, and soon the animals are off―in a race to catch a glimpse of one of nature’s most astounding wonders! With lyrical text and sparkling artwork,
- Bright Winter Night
- is a celebration of the joy and beauty of nature and the special gift of friendship and togetherness.
