Dark on Light

The creators of Green on Green follow that seasonal work with one focused on shadow and light, centering lulling, mesmerizing sensate verse accompanied by artwork in warm, saturated hues. At a house in a valley bathed in sunset colors, a family's dog sets off by itself. Three light-skinned, fair-haired children look out a window as the sun sets ("Rose the horizon, gleaming and bright./ Twilight and evening and dark on light"), then take a shadow-casting flashlight outside to search for the dog. They're not too worried; one child stops to sniff lavender blooms, while another pauses beneath the moon. They surprise an owl, find the dog, then revel in the sight of enormous trees stretching up to the stars ("Damp the moss. Ancient the sky./ Dark the leaves, crisp and dry"). Light from the house spills onto the porch as the three return, and closing bedtime scenes in a shared bedroom embody warmth and security ("Cozy the blanket. Pillowed the head./ Dark the attic. Snug the bed") in this quiet celebration of chiaroscuro in the natural world. Ages 3-8. (Dec.)

K-Gr 3--Using only poetic couplets which tend to end with the phase "dark on light," White's text is the distillation of the journey that Sala depicts of a trio of children with flashlights ablaze who go into the woods at dusk to track down their dog. Sala portrays the three pale-skinned children frolicking along a trail from home through a meadow and woods searching for their dog while enjoying nature. When they find the pup, they all happily trek back home to awaiting parents, who lovingly put them to bed. Searching for the dog and delighting in the nature around them are given equal attention. White's wonderful lines giving the essence of the children's trip ("Inviting the trail. Timid the fawn. Dark the hedge that borders the lawn) are brought into focus by the accompanying illustrations. Sala's illustrations in watercolors, gouache, and colored pencils have a detail, depth, and color that embody the text while fleshing out the story into a comprehensive whole. VERDICT Text and artwork beautifully in tandem to tell of a successful search and to evoke the feelings of joy that nature can stir. The book works on many levels and would make a good addition to most libraries.--Catherine Callegari

An exemplary, revelatory bedtime book.

-Martha V. Parravano January/February 2023 p.70