Twilight Comes Twice [Hardcover]

Ralph Fletcher (Author), Kate Kiesler (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 1997 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years

Free-verse text describes the transition from day to night and from night to day, revealing the magic in these everyday moments.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2. In spare, poetic prose, Fletcher describes the twilight of mornings and evenings, those two brief times of day that often seem to have magical qualities. He personifies dawn and dusk and uses images and metaphors to evoke their special qualities and events. The full- and double-paged oil paintings depict a suburban community. A young girl and her dog wander through the scenes, adding interest even though they are never mentioned in the text. Various shades of green, orange, and brown are used effectively to show how the colors of things are transformed by twilight. The personification of dawn and dusk seems strained, and the metaphors are sometimes more distracting than illuminating, e.g., dusk "pours/the syrup of darkness/into the forest" and "hisses on the sprinklers." The pictures speak more clearly than the words. Charlotte Zolotow's When the Wind Stops (HarperCollins, 1995) and Jonathan London's I See the Moon and the Moon Sees Me (Viking, 1996) successfully use art and text to convey a sense of the wonder of the natural world.?Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A quietly alluring mood piece that focuses on the twilight times when ``night and day stand whispering secrets before they go their separate ways'' at dawn and dusk. Fletcher (Ordinary Things, p. 460, etc.) finds impressionistic images--``Dusk pours the syrup of darkness into the forest'' and ``dawn erases the stars from the blackboard of night''--that Kiesler makes concrete, by including in her lush, light-drenched paintings a girl and a dog who witness the topical observations of the text. The exploration of how these transitory periods affect the lives of people--from children playing in the park to fishermen casting out in the fading light, from commuters to the girl's family, setting the breakfast table--is achieved through an inclusive sensory range, from dusk's fireflies that swim through air to write ``bright messages in secret code,'' to dawn's smell of doughnuts outside the bakery. Words and art coalesce into an invitation to readers to move beyond the page and into their own explorations of twilight. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; First Edition edition (October 20, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395848261
• ISBN-13: 978-0395848265
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 0.4 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ralph Fletcher is a friend of young writers and readers as well as writing teachers. He has written or co-authored many books for writing teachers includng Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide, Teaching the Qualities of Writing, Lessons for the Writer's Notebook, Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices, and Pyrotechnics on the Page: Playful Craft That Sparks Writing. Ralph has worked with teachers around the U.S. and abroad, helping them find wiser ways of teaching writing.

Ralph's many books for students include picture books (Twilight Comes Twice, Hello Harvest Moon, and The Sandman), novels (Fig Pudding, Flying Solo, and Spider Boy), poetry (A Writing Kind of Day and Moving Day), and a memoir, Marshfield Dreams: When I Was a Kid. His novel Uncle Daddy was awarded the Christopher medal in 2002. He has also written a popular series of books for young writers including Poetry Matters, Live Writing, and A Writer's Notebook. Ralph lives with his family in New Hampshire. He is a strong environmentalist who believes we all must work together to live in a more sustainable way. His other passions include travel, good food, dark chocolate, growing orchids, and sports.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating and picturesque July 21, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

This book was introduced to me in a Teaching Language Arts class in college and I have since fallen in love with it. Ralph Fletcher's vivid descriptions bring his words to life and puts the reader right within his story. Through his use of words, readers can easily paint the picture of twighlight and experience it first hand. This book is excellent for teaching children about descriptive writing and the use of vivid images within their writing. A must have book that is enjoyable for all ages!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gentle and calming beautiful illustrations with poetic prose October 30, 2000

By christinemm - The Thinking Mother TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

A story set in a suburban neighborhood with a girl and her dog doing various activities as the sun rises or sets. The first part of the book is about dusk and the second part is about dawn. The text is poetic and beautiful. The text is on one page and the illustrations are on the other page; this is a larger sized hardcover book. The illustrations are beautiful paintings, all with the special hues of dusk or dawn. Some of the scenes are: the girl and dog playing in a sprinkler while bats fly overhead and fireflies fly at their feet, two fisherman on the shore of a lake, and the girl and dog taking a walk through the woods at dawn. The poetic nature of the text is rarely found in modern children's books and is a joy to read. "When the sky is full and singing with stars you know that twilight has given way to true night." This is a gentle and calming book to read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great teaching tool October 12, 2005

By R. Carman

Format:Hardcover

I am a middle school teacher and found this book to be a great tool for teaching my sixth graders. We have been studying personification and this book has great examples in it. The pictures are beautiful and the text is serene. This is a very wonderful book.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Twilight Comes Twice October 22, 2002

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

I recommend this book for 5-10 year oids because I think people who like poetry should read this book. I liked ho a girl made dawn and night sound beautiful I thik this book is great and you might like it to.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A PLEASURE TO THE EYE AND EAR December 2, 2007

By D. Blankenship HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

The author and artist have explored my two favorite times of day with this work. The two twilight periods, dawn and dusk. The text is done in a flowing, simple poetic type prose and those who love poetry will love this one. As to the text, I do disagree with the brief paragraph here published by The School Library journal (who, more often than not, get it wrong anyway) in that they state that the metaphors used are sometimes more distracting than illuminating. This I fear is the mind set that seems to be in vogue of late, i.e. underestimating the intelligence of our kids. If a child is to grow into a truly literate adult, they need to undersand metaphors, their meaning the their use. You cannot, in my opinion, start this process soon enough. What better way to begin than with a work like this. Yes, I will admit that this may take some actual work on some adults part, the explanation, but is not what adults are suppose to do? Even a bad metaphor is better than no metaphor at all when teaching. Anyway....

The art work in this book is stunning. The story, and there is a story here, deals with people, the environment and the critters around us. The entire book is a feast for the eye and ear. The story deals with the two areas mentioned above...what happens during these wonderful times of the day? Why are they so enchanting? Why have poets written about them for hundreds of years? It is enjoyable, the kids like it, which, when all is said and done, is the best endorsement, and it never get old. This is certainly one you need to add to your child's library. Highly recommend this one.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars twilght comes twice October 22, 2002

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

This book puts a lot of descriptive writing in it. It doesn't really have a problem. I love the way the author says "slowly dusk pours the syrup of darkness into the forest". In the pictures, they always put the girl's dog with the girl. I think you would like thiss book if you are 9 and up to 12. I loved this book. Giuliana G.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful use of language December 26, 2008

By Christy M. Rhodes

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This lovely book is perfect for introducing children to the joys of poetic language as it describes dusk and dawn through rich similes and sensory details. The immensely talented Ralph Fletcher is at his best in this book. I bought it for my young children, but I also use it as a mentor text when teaching writing with adolescent students.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great teaching tool! November 15, 2012

By RaDragonfly

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just adored this book for my classroom. I teach fourth grade and use this as a wonderful example of rich, descriptive writing. The students can easily "see" the picture in their mind's eye as the writing is so incredibly spot on and creative. My students love this book and go back to it repeatedly for solid examples of descriptive writing. Highly recommend for teachers to use!