Review by Booklist Review
This poetic picture book explores many aspects and types of shadows, both literal and metaphorical. Most pages begin, "There was a shadow," and proceed to describe it. The book starts with "a new shadow, but also the last hint of night. It was a morning shadow." It then traces shadows throughout the day, indoors and outdoors, large and small, seen and sensed. At first, the various types of shadows represent nature (bugs and hills), friendship (multiple shadows dancing together), and a shady tree. Light on a face or on water is considered a kind of shadow, and so is "a shadow you could feel but not see. It was worry." After going through late afternoon, dusk, and cozy indoor shadows, the book concludes at night, with shadows of feelings, memories, and dreams. Feng's lyrical illustrations play with light and dark, times of day, various emotions, and relationships between people and nature to perfectly match the poetic tone of the text.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Lulling, mesmerizing lines by Handy (The Book from Far Away) observe shadows as they grow and fade, reflecting life over the course of a day. A reiterative narrative voice invites readers to pay attention as morning dawns, "a new shadow,/ but also the last hint of night." As the sun rises in the sky, noted shadows include that of a hill ("a tall, wide shadow"), an insect ("a look-closely shadow"), and gathering children ("moving, dancing,/ playing shadows"). Short sentences, progressing stepwise, reveal fresh surprises, as in "a hard shadow,/ a noontime shadow.// It was shade." The sun climbs higher, the day ends, and the dusky shapes lengthen again into "an almost everywhere/ sort of shadow./ It was evening." Atmospheric spreads by Fisk (The Great Barrier Reef) pay attention to the play of light and its source--sunlight casts warm shadows, the indistinct shadows of dusk contain mystery, and moonlit shadows enchant. Together, the creators' shared intensity gives this carefully observed work its resonance. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 5--7. (May)
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Review by Horn Book Review
Handy and Feng explore and celebrate the juxtaposition of light and shadow from sunrise to sunset. With daybreak brings the opening lines: "There was a shadow. It was a new shadow, but also the last hint of night. It was a morning shadow." Throughout the day come hill shadows, noontime shadows, bug shadows, indoor shadows, and shadows "cast by moonlight," even the shadows of emotions across a face: worry, happiness, and sadness. Light brings "the play of light on water" and "the play of light on a face" (light does a lot of playing). The night sky would be all blackness if not punctuated by the varied lights of celestial bodies. The repetition of the phrase "there was a shadow" sometimes feels intrusive, but overall the poetic language beautifully complements Feng's gorgeous digitally rendered illustrations. There's a story in those illustrations: a child freely roams fields and hills, hangs out with friends under a tree, and returns home for supper to a kitchen infused with white light juxtaposed with "a warm shadow, a comforting shadow" (though two adult shadows are depicted). A final line -- "Or were they dreams?" -- offers much to contemplate. Dean SchneiderJuly/August 2024 p.99 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The absence of light inspires its own unique story in this scintillating, kid-centered view of shadow play. A day from dawn to darkness is seen entirely through the lens of shadows. "There was a shadow. / It was a new shadow, / but also the last hint of night. / It was a morning shadow." Handy records various types of shadow, from sunrise to sunset. In the morning, children note the wide shadow of a hill, the minuscule shadow of a bug, and their own dancing, friendly shadows. As the sun climbs higher in the sky, the shadows become shorter and morph into shade. Youngsters of different skin tones wonder if "a faint, rippling shadow" is "even really a shadow?" And then there are the shadows of worry to consider. The sun starts to go down, lengthening the shadows until they turn to dusk. That leaves room for comforting indoor shadows and, finally, mysterious shadows cast by moonlight. Handy picks apart this day-to-day darkness while preserving its magic and wonder. Meanwhile, Feng's art depicts the natural existence of shadows, outdoor and in, with an evocative sense of wonder. The world on these pages is rendered realistically, its innate magic still held intact. With kids' fears banished, these shadows are no less enigmatic for being observed so closely in this lyrical, loving ode. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
