Picture Book Review 1

Swanson, Susan Marie. The House in the Night. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008.

Illustrator: Krommes, Beth ISBN-13: 978-0-618-86244-3 ISBN-10: 0-618-86244-7

This story begins with the arrival of a small family to their home. The child is given a key to the house by the father. Thereafter, the story unfolds in a pattern of steps from one element connecting to the next. For instance, the author writes, “here is the key to the house…in the house burns a light…in that light rests a bed.” The text moves the reader towards a bird in a book—which takes the child in flight across the sky, beyond the moon, to the sun, and back to the child’s home. The characters of the book include the child, the parents, the pets (Scamp the dog, a cat, and two kittens), and the bird. The author notes that this book was inspired by another poem with the same use of cumulative pattern. The setting takes place initially within a farming community. This book can be read as simply as it is written—a way to soothe a child of his or her fear of the night. However, as a parent, I see a deeper theme within (although I may be wrong). The passing of the key from the father seems symbolic of passing legacy to the child, the child flies the coop—explores the world, and then returns back home. The illustrations are of the visual media of scratchboard and watercolor—which is a central character through and outside the book. The use of black, white, and yellowish-orange really catches one’s eye and invokes a sense of warmth. The only cultural marker that was noted was the depiction of the traditional family (mom, dad, and child). This work received the Caldecott Medal.
This review is a requirement for a college course.