8/15/08

Goodnight, House

Here is the key to the house.
In the house burns a light,
In the light rests a bed,
On that bed waits a book...

While looking for the right books for the program, Raising Readers reviews 100's of picture books and board books. With only 14 books chosen each year to be given to Maine kids, many wonderful books get set aside. We hope to highlight books here that we have truly loved.

The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson and illustrated by Beth Krommes has the comforting night rhythms of books like Goodnight, Moon and This is the House That Jack Built.

The beautiful black and white illustrations (done on scratchboard by Krommes) are touched with areas of yellow giving nighttime a reassuring warm glow.

The book follows a family inside as the sun goes down and as the child prepares for bed. An open book on the bed leads the child on a magical ride through the night sky. This book is sure to send everyone gently to sleep and subtly promote the magic of stories.

You can always look at Books We Recommend on everything from Bedtime to Rhyme to Toilet Training on our website.