Synopses & Reviews
Winner of the 2009 Caldecott Medal
A spare, patterned text and glowing pictures explore the origins
of light that make a house a home in this Caldecott Medal-winning
bedtime book for young children. Naming nighttime things that are both
comforting and intriguing to preschoolers — a key, a bed, the moon — this
timeless book illuminates a reassuring order to the universe.
Review
"This volume's artful simplicity, homely wisdom and quiet tone demonstrate the interconnected beauty and order of the world in a way that both children and adults will treasure." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"Krommes's breathtaking scratchboard illustrations...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." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"Inspired by traditional cumulative poetry, Swanson weaves a soothing song that is as luminescent and soulful as the gorgeous illustrations that accompany her words....It is a masterpiece..." School Library Journal (Starred Review)
Review
"Executed in scratchboard decorated in droplets of gold, Krommes' illustrations expand on Swanson's reassuring story...to create a world as cozy inside a house as it is majestic outside." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"Krommes's widening perspective manages to exude both comfort and daring." New York Times Book Review
About the Author
Susan Marie Swanson is an award-winning poet and the author of several children's books. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Beth Krommes is the illustrator of several award-winning books, including The Lamp, the Ice, and a Boat Called Fish and Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow, and the Caldecott winning The House In the Night. She lives in Peterborough, New Hampshire, with her family.