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Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Ceredo-Kenova Public Library | MCD | Juvenile | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
In Out of a Dark Winter's Night, illustrator and author Flora McDonnell tells the story of a young child whose spirit of adventure is dampened when the day ends and gives way to night. Taking their wheelbarrow, they set out on a mission to stop the sun from setting again, joined along the way by a charming collection of animal friends. But when darkness falls again and worst comes to worst, it is hope that eventually carries them home, where they sees the dawn breaking again.
A response to calls for books that help children and families understand mental health issues, Out of a Dark Winter's Night is a gentle expression of McDonnell's firsthand experience with anxiety and depression that is empathetic and poetic, allowing room for multiple interpretations and responses.
McDonnell has said of the book, "This is my autobiography. A journey since childhood to harness the sun and stop the darkness of the night, which has to be abandoned. With a helping hand, I have learnt to turn around and see the sun rise. . . . The book is intended to give courage to any child or adult who feels they are stuck in the darkness of a winter's night."
Author Notes
Flora McDonnell is an artist and picture book maker. She is the creator of Flora McDonnell's ABC, I Love Animals, I Love Boats, Splash!, and Giddy-up! Let's Ride!, among many other books.
Reviews (1)
Kirkus Review
A dedicated search for the light, even in the darkest of times, leads one character back home.A child appears, seemingly nascent with the light, nude and frolicking. Donning a yellow rain hat, blue coat, and red galoshes (reminiscent of Paddington Bear), the industrious child sets out with a wheelbarrow full of assorted tools to chase the sun across village streets, pastures, and hills. Together with a goose and cat companions, the child tries to catch the sun's bright rays. Dropping items as they progress, they reach the shore with only a small butterfly net just as the sun sinks below the watery horizon. Doggedly carrying on, the child briefly swims naked with the goose under the nighttime waves before they wash back to shore. A starry elephant appears with a lantern in its trunk, carrying the child back home as the sun rises. McDonnell's minimalist text, with sentences stretched over several pages, conveys only the most general information, developing an atmospheric tale with layered meanings. One can metaphorically read an emotional journey of a sad, "dark" spot in life, emerging into "light," happy times. Regardless, "hope" carries readers into a new dawn in the circular theme. Vast but simply designed landscapes dominate the wide pages with thick brush strokes and sweeping colors. The dark scenes are so saturated that readers may have to squint to make both them and the text out, a narratively appropriate feature. Conversely, the light scenes burst off the pages.Delicately crafted, impressionistic hope. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
