The Longest Night by Marion Dane Bauer
The Longest Night by Marion Dane Bauer, illustrated by Ted Lewin
(Suggest reading level: Ages 4-8)
Yesterday was the winter solstice, the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, which is why Amber (9) and I took a break from the book we're in the middle of to read The Longest Night.
In the forest, the night is cold, dark and seems like it will never end. Several animals think they are stong enough or smart enough to wake the sun, but it turns out that a small, humble bird heralds the dawn.
"The night is long and long," says a chickadee.
"The sun is gone and gone.
If not crow or moose or fox, then who?
Who can bring back the sun?"
"You," says the wind. "Only you."
This is a beautifully written book, clear enough for younger children to understand, but the phrasing is poetic and conveys the mood wonderfully. You can feel how worried the creatures are, how they each think they are the ones...