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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
A child takes a walk as evening arrives, enjoying the life in the windows of houses on the street. Utterly relatable as a window peeler myself, this poetically captures the life to be found in a neighborhood (which as a residential urban feel to it). The art is gorgeous, too. I love the closing, with the mom waiting in their own window, and then the final page depicting mother and child reading together.
An illustrated love letter to Somerville, MA if ever there was one, but this book lends itself to any area that has that neighborhood feel--where you may not know everyone who lives on your block, but you feel a community and kinship with them regardless.
Denos's prose is poetic, descriptive, and concise, cozy even. A favorite line, paired with a darkened and shuttered house in an overgrown part of the neighborhood: "Other[ window]s are empty and leave you to fill them up with stories."
Share with little ones to point out what people are doing in the windows and to pour over the detailed endpapers.
Denos's prose is poetic, descriptive, and concise, cozy even. A favorite line, paired with a darkened and shuttered house in an overgrown part of the neighborhood: "Other[ window]s are empty and leave you to fill them up with stories."
Share with little ones to point out what people are doing in the windows and to pour over the detailed endpapers.
“You might pass a cat or an early raccoon taking a bath in squares of yellow light.”
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
‘’At the end of the day, before the town goes to sleep,
you can look out of your window and see more little windows lit up like eyes in the dusk
blinking away as the lights turn on inside
a neighbourhood of paper lanterns.’’
Most of my classes finish around 7 in the evening. Night slowly makes her mysterious presence known and through the train windows, you can see the houses coming to life as the orange lights call for you to look, to spy. (No mobile phone for me while commuting, thank you very much!) And I obey. I look for that unusual painting, or lamp, or a vividly-painted wall, or a bookcase full of books. But what attracts my attention is the life that can be contained within the walls of a house. The love, the hopes, the fears, the dreams. I’ve always been fascinated by dusk and the time when the windows lit up. My strolls in the neighbourhood always take place during the blue hour. Even though the houses are the same, the windows are the same, the people are the same, each time feels like an exciting discovery and the warmth in my heart never fades.
In this beautiful book, we take a walk in a serene yet lively neighbourhood, guided by a boy and his dog. During a quiet, autumnal evening, our stroll becomes a journey of understanding what it means to belong to a community. The fairy lights on the porch, children returning home, a dance school, an impromptu party in a basement, shops closing, friends reuniting, couples sharing the burden of the day, hugs, laughter, the perfume of a dinner that has just been prepared, the humming of the TV or the radio, the moon that appears to remind us that the time to rest has come. Tomorrow, we start again. For now, the soft caramel lights are waiting to ease our weary minds…
This lovely gem, created by Julia Denos and E.B.Goodale will make you grab your shows and take a soothing walk. And I promise you, you will see everything in a new light.
‘’Then you arrive home again,
and you look at your window from the outside.
Someone you love is waving at you,
and you can’t wait to go in.
So you do.’’
My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/
A new classic!
Windows has the sumptuous feel of previous picture book classics, such as Ezra Jack Keats.
I predict that Julia Denos will be a Caldecott winner someday!
Windows has the sumptuous feel of previous picture book classics, such as Ezra Jack Keats.
I predict that Julia Denos will be a Caldecott winner someday!
I thought it perfectly encapsulated that in-between time of day and night and you can see what's happening in your neighborhood.
I especially like that once they child is done walking the dog, they sit with their parent and read books from their bookshelf.
Done in ink, watercolor, letterpress, and digital college.
I especially like that once they child is done walking the dog, they sit with their parent and read books from their bookshelf.
Done in ink, watercolor, letterpress, and digital college.
My boys were young we would often go on "night walks" after dinner. This book takes me right back to those magical evenings when we would walk and wonder about the lives of people in our neighborhood. The art is luminous.