Smoky Night by Eve
Bunting
Illustrator: Mark Astrella
Published in 1999
In this realistic fiction children’s book based on the Los
Angeles riots that took place in the early 90’s, a boy named Daniel tells his
story of how he witnessed the devastation that took place in the streets below
his apartment. There are many hardships discussed within the book including
racism, rioting, and loss of homes and loved ones, however as the book
progresses it takes a shift from negative to positive. The illustrations
throughout the book were engaging and colorful and very much presented the
innocence of Daniel and his mother, while demonstrating the important of the
words on each page. This book reveals how sometimes it takes a tragedy to find
a common ground with others.
While I feel that the underlying subject of the book (L.A.
riots) is a little advanced and political for young children, I believe that
the message that Eve Bunting shares is one that can be related to something
more current in students lives. It is important to teach children, especially
in today’s classrooms where bullying is present, that even in the face of
tragedy, people can find a way to get along and look past the differences they
may have.
This is a children's picture book, but it is also aimed for a more mature level of students. Even as an adult I had little background knowledge of the L.A. riots, why they happened and what actually went on. Having students do some investigation before sharing this story would be a good idea. I can see how this text could spark interesting conversations and be tied to a Civil Rights unit about how social violence during the 60's is similar to that of today.
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