Customer Reviews

Smoky Night (Caldecott Medal Book)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

From her home in Pasadena, California, Eve Bunting was close enough to Los Angeles for the riots of the early 90's to have had a big impact on her everyday life during that time. As an author of children's literature who was always thinking of new story lines, she began wondering about the effects the riots had on children in the Los Angeles area and other areas where rioting was taking place. This is the premise of her book Smoky Night. In the story, a young boy and his mother witness a riot on the streets outside their home. Later that evening, their building catches fire, and they go to a shelter until the fire can be extinguished and the building repaired. Through their experience, they learn the importance of getting along with others regardless of their race or background. Bunting does a wonderful job of portraying the craziness and futility of the riots from a child's perspective. The illustrations by David Diaz are also important in furthering the theme of overcoming the adversity of the riots, along with racism, through togetherness. Smoky Night begins with just the narrator and his mother, exhibiting their isolation in the middle of the dangerous riots. The mother in the story becomes the interpreter of the riots for the young boy. He seems to understand how the rioters are feeling, he says, "They look angry. But they look happy, too," but he does not understand why they are smashing and stealing things. His mother explains that they are so angry that they don't care what's right or wrong anymore. The pictures that illustrate the scenes of the rioting streets are wonderful. Collages of such things as glass to represent the broken windows, the soles of shoes to represent the robbing of the shoe store, and several different types of cereal to represent the robbing of Mrs. Kim's market create the illustrations. A painted scene of the action that is being described at the time also accompanies each of these backgrounds. During the riots, the colors and images are brightly colored, and many different things cover each page. The colors as well as the sparse, carefully selected words create the sense of panic and confusion that everyone, especially the children must have been feeling at the time. The brightest illustration is the one depicting the reds and yellows of the apartment fire along with matches and the fleeing occupants of the building. On the same page appears a lot of dialogue to represent the confusion of the fire in the middle of the night. Most of this consists of quick questions, many concerning the boy's lost cat. Later in the story, Bunting uses this cat which always fights with a neighbor's cat as a metaphor for the people who also work against their neighbors. The reader finds out about the cats' feud and the prejudice of the people when the boy says, "Mr. Kim's cat and my cat fight all the time, and Mrs. Kim yells at Jasmine in words I don't understand." As the people flee from the burning building their sense of urgency is obvious from the repeated use of exclamation points on the page. After the residents of the apartment escape from the fire, the text seems to move more slowly and the pictures show thick, soup-like smoke covering everything. Not until the residents of the apartment reach a shelter and a kind fireman brings both the boy's and Mrs. Kim's cats to them do the illustrations brighten up once again. In the story the cats are important because, like the people, the cats do not get along at first. However, when they are caught in the riots and the fire, they find the need to be with one another and, in the end, the fireman finds them together. The people involved in the story go through the same changes, and they also find that they have never taken the time to get to know each other. A story like Smoky Night can be helpful for any person who is struggling through adversity or thinking that others may be too different from themselves to be worth befriending.

Who would have thought a book focusing its attention on race riots would have won the 1995 Caldecott Award? Yet when you think about it... it makes sense. The best children's books are the ones that can explain awful circumstances in a way that kids can understand. Just as the 2004 Caldecott Award winner "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers" tips its hat to September 11th, "Smoky Night" was inspired by the L.A. riots. According to the bookflap, author Even Bunting wondered what riots meant to the children that lived through them. Through this tale, Bunting shows the good that can come out of hard times and struggles.

When the book begins, young Daniel and his mom are watching the people rioting in the street below. Daniel is confused by this, and rightly so. These people are taking an odd joy in what they do. Even as they destroy and steal they act happy with what they're doing. Says Daniel, "I've never heard anybody laugh the way they laugh". That night Daniel is woken up out of his bed by the shaking of his mother. The apartment building is on fire, and the boy cannot locate his pet cat Jasmine. In the panic he's forced to leave without her and stay in a shelter that night with his mom. Mrs. Kim, a neighbor of Daniel, is missing her cat as well. Suddenly a fire fighter enters the building, both cats under his arms. Where once the cats used to fight one another, now there is a bond between them. A similar attempt to make peace with Mrs. Kim ends with pleasing results.

The story doesn't strike you as particularly moving at first. You need to read it and digest it a while to get the full flavor of the text. When I first read through the tale I felt disappointed. A little let down. Then I thought about what I read and went back to it. The inclusion of the cats is really what lets this story work as well as it does. I also appreciated how the tale acknowledged the dark side of human beings. Though it's clear that Daniel and his mother are not "bad people", he notes that the reason he and his mother do not shop at the story of Mrs. Kim is that, "Mama says it's better if we buy from our own people". This chilling statement is somewhat rectified by the end, but just barely. I was grateful that this didn't turn out to be a throwaway line.

The illustrations for this book, provided by the multi-talented Daid Diaz, work exceedingly well. The thick heavily stylized drawing style of Diaz is contrasted with a kind of multi-media pairing with photographs. If you've ever read Kathleen Krull's remarkable, "Wilma Unlimited" then you'll know what I'm talking about. For example, when we see Mrs. Kim unhappily trying to stop people from stealing her store's goods, the photograph behind the illustration is a sidewalk covered in scattered dry goods. Underneath the nuts and dried fruits you can just make out the childlike chalk drawings, possibly made earlier in the day. Tiny impossible details like this one fill the text. It's remarkable.

Some people may feel this book is racist because it doesn't explain the motivations behind the rioters. Well, it does mention the anger the rioters feel but to a child the simple fact that people are stealing from one another is a bad thing. Also, I might point out that Daniel and his mother are black. If you find racism in this book, it's probably because you hope to find it.

What I suggest is this: First, read this book to yourself. Think it through. Ponder it a couple times. Then read it to your child/children. Let them think it through. Let them ponder it a couple times. Then read it together to get the full flavor of the text. Answer the children's questions. Try to find answers that are honest but not too upsetting. Then, when they've gone to bed, read it book one more time to yourself. Savor it. Go to bed yourself.

Eve Bunting wrote "Smoky Night" as a children's book that teaches some very valuable lessons. She wrote about the experiences of the Los Angeles riots from the point of view of a young boy named Daniel.
Daniel and his mother live in Los Angeles when the riots break out. Daniel watches the evil things people are doing outside his window and learns that they do it because they don't like the people who look or sound different from themselves. When a fire threatens his apartment building, Daniel and his mother must evacuate along with the rest of the tenants and go to a shelter for the night. Daniel is frantically searching for his beloved cat and questioning all his neighbors on her location. Finally, a firefighter brings his cat in along with Mrs. Kim's cat. Daniel thinks it is odd that the two of them were found together because he thought they despised each other. Then he realizes they now get along because they finally got to know each other. His realization brings about a revelation among his neighbors who then become friendly with one another, despite their skin tone or language.
This book opens the floor up for introducing children to the Los Angeles riots and a discussion on racial prejudice. It might be possible to have children do some research on the events and compile a classroom portfolio on that time in history. Discussing racial discrimination could also lead to the introduction of the Civil Rights Movement and the heroes of that time. This book is also great for familiarizing students with the qualities of different ethnic groups and how a diverse population is actually beneficial to the nation as a whole.
"Smoky Night" is a terrific book. It is a wonderful resource for showing children how awful the riots were, and also showing how absurd! Those could have easily been prevented if people would have simply accepted others for who they are! This book certainly raises awareness of the possible devastation that prejudice can cause. It can be used as a tool to minimize the outbreaks in the future by presenting it to children today. Bunting certainly didn't hold back in telling the truth about the riots. She gave details of the goings on in the street and the obvious dangers that were present.
The illustrations in "Smoky Night" are absolutely incredible. David Diaz put paintings on top of photographs of real objects. The colors in his paintings are abstract but they represent the different ethnicities unmistakably. The unique colors really give a bold statement to the book, but I think there is also a quality about them that helps represent unity across the people in the book.

It should have won all the awards it won! We liked that it was based on true events and it brings people together. We never knew about riots before we read the book. It's a really good book!

Bunting takes a bold step by bringing the LA riots to life through the eyes of a child. Though not the ideal bed time story, Smoky night is worth being read. It conveys the message of the effects of urban violence on a child but also tells a beautiful tale of coming together. Daniel and his cat stare out their apartment window at the streets below as people loot the stores. He can not understand why this is happening, how people can look angry and happy at the same time. As Daniel and his mother sleep, a fire breaks out in their building. In the confusion their cat is lost as well as the cat of Mrs. Kim, a Korean shop owner where Daniel's mother never goes. Perhaps a tad cornybut effective is Bunting's use of the two cats coming together to find comfort and security in a time of crisis. The illustrations of David Diaz fill the pages with bright neon colors. His use of multi media to create unique chaotic pictures, complimentary to the story being told.

This small children's book is focused on the riots in Los Angeles, a child's view of them, and how people of different backgrounds can come together. It is a great book that can lead a child into a discussion with an adult about riots, violence, mob psychology, and how all of those factors can effect children. It was illustrated by David Diaz and it won the 1995 Caldecott Medal for best illustration in a book for children.

While this book attempts to view the LA riots through the eyes of a child, it never actually gives any historical context, thus making the likelihood of the reader's understanding less and less with each passing year. The only tolerance shown in the book is by cats, and while young children identify with animals, this moral is a stretch even to adults. The artwork is lovely, but that only serves to highlight the poor and age-inappropriate story line.

Smoky Night tells the story of a young boy and his mother living in one of the neighborhoods where the Los Angeles riots broke out in the early 1990s. As they watch the rioting from their window, the mother discusses candidly the details of what is happening with her son. When their apartment building catches on fire, they must evacuate and move to a shelter for the night. They are forced to interact with their neighbors who are of different races and they learn the importance of focusing on similarities instead of differences. This book gives a good overview of what life was like for a child at this moment in history. I would recommend it for ages 11 through 14. The complex issues the story brings up about prejudice and racism would be appropriate for children in this age group who are beginning to analyze moral issues. The book should be used in a school setting. It would be appropriate to read the book as part of a discussion on racism or race riots. The paintings in the book were made in acrylics on Arches watercolor paper. The backgrounds, which are collages made up of objects related to the story, were created and photographed by the illustrator. The artwork is unique and fits the text perfectly. For example, when in the story the boy views people stealing cereal from the market, the background is a photograph of actual cereal, and when the boy views someone stealing clothes from the dry cleaners, the background is a photograph of clothing on hangers in plastic bags.

From their appartment window Daniel and his mother watch the rioting going on in the streets below. Daniel is holding onto his cat wondering why all these people are so angry. Late that night they rush out of their home because of a fire. At the sheltor where they are staying Daniel hopes his cat made it out safely. Another lady there, Mrs Kim, is hoping the same thing. Mrs. Kim and Daniel and his mother did not always get along and neither did their cats. Shortly after they were at the sheltor a fire fighter brought in two cats, he said he had found them cuddled up next to each other underneath the stairs. This story uses the relationship of two cats to show how cats and people can be brought together. This book approaches to show the effects of violence through a child's eye, and teaches them a lesson that people can get along if they put their differences behind them.

I too was surprised by the contents of the book - guess I just didn't expect a Caldecott book to be about rioting and the dark side of humanity. My kids are 5 and 3. They like it and like reading it over and over. I have felt it necessary to point out that some of the things said are really wrong to say/think (we only buy from our own people), and I wish we'd encountered the book when the kids were a little older so they could have processed it themselves instead of me feeling the need to sort of force-feed/outright explain it.

Great book for young elementary kids - or even older ones. My preschoolers like it, but older kids will get more out of it. Oh, and as an adult I found it insightful and interesting.

Good book - just know what you are getting into.