The Longest Night...

Ted Lewin.  He is one of our most gifted illustrators!  He's one of my favorites (if you've never seen him speak, it's worth a trip to your annual reading conference).  Whenever I see a book with his name on the cover, I can't help but stop by and look.  And the combination of his work with Marion Dane Bauer's words makes for a wonderful collaboration. Together, artist and author create a beautiful story of the longest night of the year.  

     There's something simple and kind that automatically draws you into the story, mainly Lewin's illustrations--his focus on every detail, his ability to bring light into his work, and his artistic realism are unsurpassed.  Lewin's artwork brings life to animals like a crow, a field mouse, a moose, and a tiny chickadee.  The chickadee on the cover welcomes spring with a "Dee-dee-dee."  Although every other animal thinks it is his/her job to welcome spring, but they are wrong.

     There's a poetic nature in the writing, a rhythmic tone, a sense of language play... "The snow lies deep.  The night is long and long.  The stars are ice, the moon is frost, and all the world is still."  Even the wind speaks softly.  The longest night of the year passes too quickly, I wanted more... but the Chickadee welcomes us all into spring.  

     This book will lend itself to a study of creating sensory images... of using dialogue to move a text through time... of using repetition to bring writing to life.  When I saw this book, I knew I'd add it to my wish list!  Can't wait to get this one!