By Susan Marie Swanson - The House in the Night (None) (4.5.2008) Hardcover – April 5, 2008

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.

My husband doesn't like this book as he doesn't quite get the verse as it can be a little abstract but my son absolutely loves it. I think the illustrations with pretty much most of it in black and white with the golden highlights here and there make it stand out from other books. The verse has a nice flow to it and my little one loves finding the house and the key in the images.Worth having in your collection for a little something different.

This book offers an age-old tune with new words. Taking after the old story that starts "This is the key to the kingdom," Ms. Swanson updates it to use modern, recognizable objects within the reader's own home. The scratchboard illustrations accent the true depth and reassuring tone of the story that leads readers to better understand order through repetition. Krommes illustration technique of scratchboard with intermittent color accentuating the important parts of the story lead the reader to a textured, moving realm of literature. As Swanson uses simple words to help children know order and objects, the storyline also tells the tale of a child getting ready for bed and using his/her imagination to travel outside his/her home. After going into the home, into her room, into her book, and into the world the reader is then transported back into the book, into the room, into the house, and into the world of the character. As a former art major student and artist I can fully appreciate the time it took for the illustrations in this book to be created. Scratchboard a difficult medium to work in, and can create a great deal of movement in the final piece. As for the text, it does do a wonderful job in reinforcing timeline, order, and organization. The naming of basic objects, and the illustrations of more to name later on your own, creates a learning opportunity for young readers. The underlying message of being able to leave your home in your imagination through books, and the ability to return to it later, just as you left it is a wonderful way to entice young readers to read more books.

One of my favorite picture books. We used this as our bedtime book for a long time. The illustrations are beautiful and the book moves in a poetic way... We love it. A must for any kid's library.

Beautifully written and stunning illustrations. For those two reasons i would give it 5 stars, however, the book is not printed correctly and it seems the same has happened with other prints of the book. With mine, the second to last page repeats for two pages. So, i'm not really sure what the ending page of the book is.

We really don’t like this book, to be honest. Illustrations are nice but it’s lacking overall. Reading it to a 3 year old, which was the age I was told it was appropriate for. I think it might be better suited for a 1 year old. The pictures are lovely so may capture their attention.

This is a gorgeously illustrated, well written board book. We have purchased several copies over the years as we fell in love with it and now give utt as gifts for baby showers.

I have fallen in love with this book and even after having read it thousands of times (literally), I still love it. I buy it for every single new baby I know. The drawings are magical and for older kids the details provide lots of opportunity for talking about what's going on in the pages, beyond the sweet and lyrical poem that makes up the story. I also love that the child in the book is gender neutral, so could easily be read as a boy or a girl having the adventure.It is the absolute perfect bedtime book (not too long, not to short... sing-song-y, but not annoyingly so... beautiful art and peaceful images) and it will always be on my kids' nightstand.