The House in the Night Board Book

Are you familiar with Scratchboard art? Beth Krommes uses the technique in her Caldecott 2009 Medal winner, "The House in the Night," written by Susan Marie Swanson. Together they created a magnificent cumulative pattern beginning with "Here is the key to the house."But first, what is scratchboard art? "Scratchboard is a unique art medium which produces pictures of amazing realism, incredible detail, or fascinating contrast. It is 'The art of taking away' as you start with a black surface and scratch off to show the white underneath" (Scratchboard Art website). Obviously, Krommes focused on contrast with the black and white and gold.Norman Gaddini's website offers further details: Specific cardboard is coated with white chalk then dyed with India ink. Scratching tools etch the lines, and a spoon-like tool is used to scrape the black to reveal the white beneath. Correction of error is done with India ink. Later, watercolor can be added as Krommes did with her gold.Krommes used gold on the end pages as part of her cumulative effect. What else is gold? The key, the title words, the setting sun, lights in the house, flowers basking in the last sun rays, flowers in the house (a reflection), the dog's teddy bear, a lamp, the girl's teddy, a ball, a doll, book covers, rays on the bird in the book, stars, vibrations of the bird's song, reflections of the sun on the moon, and we're back in the house on the bed, light in the house, mom tucking the girl in, and all cozy in our places. All is right with the world.The words are simple but a bit dizzying like a magic mantra lulling one into bliss and peace. Gold and dark, dark permeated by gold, always that gleam of gold urging the girl on into a magic ride through the dark back into the coziness of bed and teddy and kitty and dog nearby. And of course, Mama. Daddy's there, too.In all these finely and coarsely scratched lines are things for children to look for: where's mama cat? How many kitties does she have? Whose toy is the little teddy? Where's the ball? On the next page? Things move around from picture to picture.When the girl and the bird fly through the night I was reminded of another Caldecott winner:  Snowflake Bentley (Caldecott Medal Book) , the story of the photography of snowflakes and the proof that each snowflake is unique. Krommes's stars and flowers are like that--each different.When you read a new Caldecott, do you wonder what was its competition? The artwork in "The House in the Night" is so magnificent, you just know it is in a class of its own. Caldecott Honor books for 2009 include: How I Learned Geography A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever

This is an absolutely beautiful book which I will always treasure.The story line is intriguing. The illustrations are really exquisite; they are done with sensitive lines in black and white with touches of orange highlights.I read this book to my grandchildren, ages 5, 7 and 11.

My 2 year old likes to read this before bed. I read it in a very calm voice and we can practice naming the pictures too. Goodnight Moon is great, but I'm glad we can mix it up!

I bought this to read every night as part of the baby's bedtime routine. We started when he was 4 months old, but let's face it - at that age, he wouldn't know this book from War and Peace, so really, I bought it for myself. The illustrations are gorgeous and detailed, and the prose tells a simple story that starts with a house key, expands to explore the nighttime world, then winds down and finishes with the key again.But most importantly, reading the book every night for months straight hasn't driven me off the deep end, like some other books might (I'm looking at you, Goodnight Moon). The baby's now 7 months old, fights bedtime with all his little heart, but still takes time out from his squirming and complaining to smile and laugh at this book.Edit: 9 months, still fights bedtime, still likes the book, and is additionally now fascinated by the shiny embossed medal on the cover. Still a winner.Edit: Almost 2 years old, still fights bedtime. Around 18 months, he liked to point at all the things in the book so I could name them for him. But now, he's pretty much over it. Instead, he likes to wind down for sleep with a book about spiders. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Great relaxing book to read to your kiddos. The art is beautiful, good buy!

Story is simple and a nice concept but one my 12m old can't grasp yet. However, he is obsessed with the illustrations in the book and we look at it probably 5 times a night. At this point we're just making up our own story as we go. He loves exploring the pages and finding new things, to the point that we're asking him to point to the church steeple, airplane, dog collar, etc. He even kisses the pages with the dog on them. Well worth it. Sturdy book that is holding up to serious use.

I have often read this book to my kindergarten classes but had not considered board book format. The House in the Night book fits right in to a discussion about the use of color in book illustration. what do you notice? Is there something missing? of course nothing is missing, the illustrations, wood-block like are wonderful and full of details. The text simple and rhythmic. I G=gifted to a two-year old cousin, so board book is the way to go. I paired with another night time book , Flashlight for older brother. Bonus new baby sister can enjoy The House in the Night when she's a little older. Little one an I enjoyed the book together for the first reading. <3

This beautiful Caldecott award-winning book is a lovely cumulative story - done in black and white, with highlights of yellow to draw children's attention to important details in the illustrations. Calm and peaceful, the text is eloquent and simple, bringing ra sense of reassurance to your little ones. A step up from "Goodnight Night Moon."

Didn't realise this was a board book for little children but as luck would have it I have a perfect candidate for it as a gift...beautiful illustrations and a sweet story.

Beautiful illustrations and a poetic, simple story. I have lent this book to several people and all remarked on how much they liked it. A special book.

O livro é lindo e a história muito legal! Fantástico! Uma obra de arte! Não a toa que foi premiado. O meu filho de 1 ano ainda não se interessou pelo livro, acho que devido ao estilo do desenho, tbm pela idade, prefere desenhos mais coloridos e simples. O Macaco Danado ele gostou mais.

As ilustrações são lindas. Minha bebê ficou super interessada! A história Deus um pouco a desejar, uma frase a cada duas páginas. Mas as ilustrações permitem que a criança tenha muito a explorar!

My three year old daughter borrowed this book from the library and requested it for Christmas. She loved it so much that she memorized it! Now my two year old son is able to pick out various words from the pages. I highly recommend this book for toddlers :)