With winter storm Jonas bearing down on the Mid-Atlantic, today is a gorgeous snowy pick.
TITLE: ARCTIC WHITE
Author: Danna Smith
Illustrator: Lee White
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, 2016
FICTION
Intended age: 4-8
Themes: Arctic, Auroras
First lines: "When you live in the Arctic in winter, everything is a shade of white."
Synopsis: A young girl looks around her Arctic home, wondering where all the color has gone until her grandfather takes her out to see a nighttime surprise.
Why I like this Book:
The first thing I like is quirky--but I loved looking under the dust jacket to see a different illustration! For me, it's like finding a hidden gift. And it's one of my favorites from inside the book, showing the girl and her dog.
The lyrical language and subtly shaded art in the book is lovely! It's a book to read slowly, thinking about the text before turning the page. "The blue-white of the tundra. The yellow-white of the polar bear."
When we lived overseas, my family was fortunate to visit Father Christmas in Saariselka, Finland, and see the northern lights. This book brings back memories. Daylight only lasted an hour or so, but despite a perpetual darkness the landscape gleamed in white.
I read a few reviews of this title which wanted more specificity of place and cultural identity, but I didn't miss that. At first, I found the second person point of view a bit distancing, but that faded as I got into the story and overall I think it's a beautiful book about a part of the world and a natural phenomenon many people may not get to see firsthand. This book is a much warmer way to experience the Arctic!
- MacMillan provides a slideshow of interior book spreads to view.
- The author's book trailer here.
- Get a stack of paint chips from the hardware store. Sort them into shades of colors (make sure you select some that are mid-tones, blue-y greens, green-y blues etc)
- Make a snow globe. What color glitter do you select? Why?
- See how one 2d grade classroom recreated northern lights on their ceiling.
- For older readers, learn from The University of Oslo how the northern lights are created.
- At the time I selected the book, I didn't remember that I had reviewed another book by this author (I am TERRIBLE with names). Compare this book to MOTHER GOOSE'S PAJAMA PARTY.
- Watch the video of the northern lights made by Maciej Winiarczyk (embedded above) and enjoy!
This review is part of PPBF (Perfect Picture Book Friday) where bloggers share great picture books. Organized and curated by author Susanna Leonard Hill, she keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. #PPBF
Hmmm! This looks like a nice gift for my daughter. We both have the AB on our bucket list! (Saw it once from a plane but not so thrilling)
ReplyDeleteIt is thrilling in person. Sadly, my kids (then 6 and 9 year-olds) say they don't really remember it. They will have to go back by themselves. Negative 38 degrees was cold enough for me once!
DeleteSuch a beautiful book for kids. How interesting the story is told in second person -- I'd enjoy reading that. I saw a bit of the Northern Lights in Alaska. Loved the video! Great choice!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pat! Apparently snowmaggedon is headed my way, so I had to think snow.
DeleteI would love to see the northern lights. I'm intrigued by your description of this book and want to check it out. This sounds like a lovely book to share with a child.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of the sky undulating in different colors isn't something most children would expect. Unless they know about northern lights!
DeleteInteresting. We saw the Northern Lights in Maine a long, long time ago. They haven't dipped that far south in long time. So mysterious and beautiful. It's like the gods are playing with colored flashlights in the sky. Will have to pick this one up. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing. And I remember how it kind of came out of nowhere, and then stopped.
DeleteOoh, I would love to see the Northern Lights. The book sounds intriguing and the illustrations look gorgeous. I'm curious about the second person narration; you don't see that every day.
ReplyDeleteIt is a bit unusual. I think of second person POV in how-to type books. How to train your monster etc.
DeleteIt's a beautiful book!! Great review!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda! It spoke to me and I'm glad when it does the same to others.
DeleteThis one sounds unique. I like introducing kids to other places in an interesting way.
ReplyDeleteAfter this weekend, thanks to winter storm Jonas, kids on the east coast may identify more strongly with the arctic!
DeleteA great way to expose kids to info about unique places in the world. Stay warm!
ReplyDeleteI am headed out to help shovel. The family is waiting for the temperature to rise to 20 degrees.
DeleteA great way to expose kids to info about unique places in the world. Stay warm!
ReplyDeleteWe are experiencing the aftermath of Snowmegdon 2016 and are snowed in. Even with all our shoveling we could not get out today. Hopefully som e of my energy will return this afternoon and I can get out and shovel a little more.
ReplyDeleteThis book is right on the money. I have never seen the arctic lights in real time with out TV or video but would love to see them someday, however the twenty two hour night would depress me. The dark evenings now are all I want to take.
Will put this book on hold at the lbirary.
It was darker than I imagined. Not surprisingly, the photo in the tour brochure before we booked showed happy people around a campfire in what must have been the only 5 mins of real light.
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