Customer Reviews

The Longest Night

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It was quiet and still in the nighttime forest. Snow lay on the branches of the tree and lay deep on the forest floor. The bears were fast asleep in their dens and the "velvet mice" huddled together in theirs. Only one little mouse seemed to be glancing around in his home under the snow. The "night-dark crow" begins to squawk and croak at the moon. He flaps his wings and can be seen by the light of the full moon. The gigantic moose trudges through the deep snow and the "clever fox" talks to no one in particular in the dark of the night. They all talk about the night and wonder where the sun has gone. The chickadee sits in a tree and talks to them all . . .

"The night is long and long," says a chickadee./

"The sun is gone and gone./

If now crow or moose or fox, then who?/

Who can bring back the sun?"/

"You," says the wind. "Only you."/

This is a very poetic, gentle wintertime tale that walks the reader through the landscape and visits with some of its inhabitants, large and small. The artwork is gorgeous and captures the "dark" of the winter months. Between the artwork and the text I felt as if I were walking alone on snowshoes throw the woods. It captures the essence of the winter wood so exquisitely I could almost feel the crunch of the snow under my feet. This is a perfect book for those in snowy climates and a dream book for those who don't!

In the deep snow of winter, the night is "long and long." Whose call will bring back the sun? It won't be the crow or the mighty moose. It won't be the fox, with sharp nose and teeth. But, it will be the chickadee, to sing the song of spring to come: "Dee-dee-dee." Stark illustrations pair with spare text to create a beautiful backdrop of nature. Children ages 4-7 will celebrate winter's splendor, singing songs of spring to come: "Dee-dee-dee."

I would give this 3.5 stars. The illustrations are beautiful but really dark and not just in terms of color. There are close ups of a flapping raven and a snarling fox that are just a bit scary looking for younger readers. It does a good job of capturing the desperate feeling that some of humans feel on the darkest day of the year and extends these to the animals in the story. The writing attempts to be poetic and succeeds in some places while sounding a bit awkward in others.

I loved this book and I highly recommend it be bought for younger children. It is such a beautiful, poetic book and my little cousins were enchanted with it. There is hope at the end of a long, cold, winter's evening. And how fitting that the little Chickadee, was the one chosen to bring hope of a brighter, warmer, better day to all of the creatures in the forest.

"The Longest Night" is a quiet melody that pays homage to the littlest of heroes. It's a cold, cold winter, a time when "cold and dark now rule." Those of the forest worry that the sun will not return. A crow, a moose and a fox brag that they can bring back the sun. One by one each call out, and one by one, each fail. Who will bring back the sun?

Marion's poetic text sings, evoking the rhythms found in the sights and sounds of nature's winter. Reflecting the traditional motif in ancient storytelling, the smallest hero is chosen by the wind: "'You," says the wind. "Only you." No one believes this little hero can bring back the sun. Somehow, this reluctant hero must find the courage to sing back the sun.

Ted Lewin uses watercolor masterfully to bring dimension and wonder to the story. Reflecting winter in the forest, he uses only three colors : blue, brown, and a special shade of green. Until, of course, the sun smiles, and then the final three pages light up - literally.

This book is an exceptional read aloud, especially for a cold winter's night!

I think it's important to have a balance of cute and realistic animals in picture books. All too often we see cuddly creatures, and this can be misleading to children. The forest is wild, dangerous, and beautiful. Marion Dane Bauer and Ted Lewin did a fantastic job of giving us the truth in a way that begs to be read over and over and over again.