Firefly

In a captivating series starter from Macfarlane (The World to Come) and Hawker (The Last Tree), spell-like verse and moody copper plate etchings rally around a lone figure's efforts to resist winter's doldrums. As the book opens, a small figure is shown confronting a densely hatched November forest with thick shadows and stark branches. The tone shifts with the suggestion to, following December's arrival, "seek what's glowing," and alliterative, assonant lines highlight spots of brightness amid winter's gloom: "Saturn's glimmer,/ Snowdrift's shine and comet's shimmer." The path through darkness isn't without peril--mid-book, the nearly featureless figure, whose skin echoes the white of the page, plummets through scratchy blackness. Again, text steps in to uplift ("But that's the hour you must muster/ All the glint and all the lustre") as it reiterates appreciation for gleaming entities--a firefly, "glittering ghosts, electric angels," constellations, and more. Finally, hands are shown cupping a luminous ball, and the figure stands before a marvelous conflagration that carries "fears to flight,/ set night on fire." A kind of charm to will away spirit-darkening forces, the book offers a balm for winter weariness. Ages 5--7. Author's agent: Jessica Woollard, David Higham Assoc. (Oct.)

Macfarlane, known for his adult works on science and nature, offers a meditation on finding light during life's darkest moments. Written in richly textured verse, the narrative begins in December's bleakest hour, when "all hope is downwards-flowing," and follows one child's quest to gather light from various sources--"stream's bright gleam," "rowan's berry," and "snowdrift's shine." The language pulses with musicality and rich sound patterns, creating an incantatory quality that elevates the simple premise into something mythic. The child stumbles and falls ("PLUNGE! And plummet!") but ultimately discovers a meadow alive with fireflies--"fallen constellations" that transform darkness into dancing light. Hawker's extraordinary black-and-white etchings render each scene with meticulous detail, featuring parallel lines and crosshatching with varied line weights that create dramatic effects even without color. The monochromatic palette paradoxically makes the concept of light more powerful, with generous white spaces and careful shading suggesting radiance breaking through shadow. The child, with skin the white of the page, moves through these landscapes, dwarfed by towering trees and vast skies that suggest both vulnerability and the magnitude of natural wonder. The sophisticated vocabulary and complex metaphors will challenge younger readers, but the message about resilience and the power of seeking beauty in darkness will both resonate across ages. Unlike typical picture books, this feels more like illustrated poetry, demanding slower, more contemplative reading that rewards multiple encounters. For patient readers, a glowing and magical poetic celebration of hope.(Picture book. 7-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.