The House in the Night
The House in the Night is a children's picture book written by Susan Marie Swanson and illustrated by Beth Krommes. Published in 2008, the book is a bedtime verse about the light in a house during the night. Krommes won the 2009 Caldecott Medal for her illustrations.
Reception
The House in the Night was well received by critics, including starred reviews from Booklist,[1] Kirkus Reviews,[2] and Publishers Weekly.[3]
Kirkus Reviews called the illustrations "breathtaking", noting that they "embody and enhance the text’s message that light and dark, like comfort and mystery, are not mutually exclusive, but integral parts of each other".[2] Publishers Weekly similarly wrote, "Krommes's [...] astonishing illustrations are so closely intertwined with the meticulous text that neither can be isolated without a loss of meaning".[3]
Language Arts's Marlene Beierle also commented on the illustrations, highlighting how they "convey a sense of tranquility and safety". Considering that the book is "inspired by a traditional nursery rhyme from the 1955 Oxford Nursery Rhyme Book" and "how the world has change and grown since 1955", Beierle "wonder[ed] if today's children will see themselves in this story the same way [...] their parents and grandparents do, or if the fantasy elements and the joy of both the illustrations and the tale will make it one that is destined to be read and reread".[4]
Awards and honors
In 2008, Booklist included The House in the Night on the Editors' Choice: Top of the List list.[5]
The following year, it won the Caldecott Medal for illustration,[4][6] and the Association for Library Service to Children included it on their list of Notable Children's Books.[7]
References
- ^ "The House in the Night". Booklist. 2008-04-15. Archived from the original on 2023-03-14. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
- ^ a b "The House in the Night". Kirkus Reviews. 2008-04-01. Archived from the original on 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
- ^ a b "The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson". Publishers Weekly. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
- ^ a b Beierle, Marlene (May 2010). "The House in the Night". Language Arts. 87 (5): 401 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Top of the List: 2008". Booklist. 2009-01-01. Archived from the original on 2023-06-04. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
- ^ Morales, Macey; Petersen, Jennifer (2009-01-25). "Neil Gaiman, Beth Krommes win Newbery, Caldecott Medals". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
- ^ "The House in the Night | Notable Children's Books". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2022-11-26. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
Awards | ||
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Preceded by | Caldecott Medal recipient 2009 | Succeeded by |
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- Animals of the Bible (1938)
- Mei Li (1939)
- Abraham Lincoln (1940)
- They Were Strong and Good (1941)
- Make Way for Ducklings (1942)
- The Little House (1943)
- Many Moons (1944)
- Prayer for a Child (1945)
- The Rooster Crows (1946)
- The Little Island (1947)
- White Snow, Bright Snow (1948)
- The Big Snow (1949)
- Song of the Swallows (1950)
- The Egg Tree (1951)
- Finders Keepers (1952)
- The Biggest Bear (1953)
- Madeline's Rescue (1954)
- Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper (1955)
- Frog Went A-Courtin' (1956)
- A Tree Is Nice (1957)
- Time of Wonder (1958)
- Chanticleer and the Fox (1959)
- Nine Days to Christmas (1960)
- Baboushka and the Three Kings (1961)
- Once a Mouse (1962)
- The Snowy Day (1963)
- Where the Wild Things Are (1964)
- May I Bring a Friend? (1965)
- Always Room for One More (1966)
- Sam, Bangs & Moonshine (1967)
- Drummer Hoff (1968)
- The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship (1969)
- Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1970)
- A Story, a Story (1971)
- One Fine Day (1972)
- The Funny Little Woman (1973)
- Duffy and the Devil (1974)
- Arrow to the Sun (1975)
- Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears (1976)
- Ashanti to Zulu (1977)
- Noah's Ark (1978)
- The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses (1979)
- Ox-Cart Man (1980)
- Fables (1981)
- Jumanji (1982)
- Shadow (1983)
- The Glorious Flight (1984)
- Saint George and the Dragon (1985)
- The Polar Express (1986)
- Hey, Al (1987)
- Owl Moon (1988)
- Song and Dance Man (1989)
- Lon Po Po (1990)
- Black and White (1991)
- Tuesday (1992)
- Mirette on the High Wire (1993)
- Grandfather's Journey (1994)
- Smoky Night (1995)
- Officer Buckle and Gloria (1996)
- Golem (1997)
- Rapunzel (1998)
- Snowflake Bentley (1999)
- Joseph Had a Little Overcoat (2000)
- So You Want to Be President? (2001)
- The Three Pigs (2002)
- My Friend Rabbit (2003)
- The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (2004)
- Kitten's First Full Moon (2005)
- The Hello, Goodbye Window (2006)
- Flotsam (2007)
- The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2008)
- The House in the Night (2009)
- The Lion & the Mouse (2010)
- A Sick Day for Amos McGee (2011)
- A Ball for Daisy (2012)
- This is Not My Hat (2013)
- Locomotive (2014)
- The Adventures of Beekle (2015)
- Finding Winnie (2016)
- Radiant Child (2017)
- Wolf in the Snow (2018)
- Hello Lighthouse (2019)
- The Undefeated (2020)
- We Are Water Protectors (2021)
- Watercress (2022)
- Hot Dog (2023)
- Big (2024)