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The co-op bookstore for avid readers
The Shortest Day
So the shortest day came,
and the year died . . .
As the sun set on the shortest day of the year, early people would gather to prepare for the long night ahead. They built fires and lit candles. They played music, bringing their own light to the darkness, while wondering if the sun would ever rise again. Written for a theatrical production that has become a ritual in itself, Susan Cooper's poem "The Shortest Day" captures the magic behind the returning of the light, the yearning for traditions that connect us with generations that have gone before -- and the hope for peace that we carry into the future. Richly illustrated by Carson Ellis with a universality that spans the centuries, this beautiful book evokes the joy and community found in the ongoing mystery of life when we celebrate light, thankfulness, and festivity at a time of rebirth. Welcome Yule!
Book Details
- Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
- Publish Date: Oct 22nd, 2019
- Pages: 32
- Language: English
- Edition: undefined - undefined
- Dimensions: 9.10in - 10.40in - 0.50in - 0.90lb
- EAN: 9780763686987
- Recommended age: 04-08
- Categories: • Holidays & Celebrations - Other, Non-Religious• Legends, Myths, Fables - General• Concepts - Seasons
More books to explore
About the Author
Carson Ellis is the creator of the Caldecott Honor Book Du Iz Tak? and the New York Times bestseller Home. She is also the illustrator of The Composer Is Dead by Lemony Snicket and Dillweed's Revenge: A Deadly Dose of Magic by Florence Parry Heide, and she collaborated with her husband, Colin Meloy, on the best-selling Wildwood series. Carson Ellis lives outside Portland, Oregon.
More books by Susan Cooper
What people are saying
Adrian McKinty is a crime and mystery writer.
from now on, in the northern hemisphere, the days are getting longer...🙂 here's The Shortest Day by the great children's book author Susan Cooper https://t.co/MmxBWVQGyh
NPR is an independent news organization committed to informing the public about the world around us. You can find us every other place you read the news.
Dec. 21 is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Author Susan Cooper and illustrator Carson Ellis created a story called The Shortest Day that celebrates light triumphing over darkness, and as the day ends we prepare for a new year. https://trib.al/4FyJRRH
Artist, queer, gorgon, tangata tiriti. Apprentice hairstylist. ADHD parent of an autistic kid. She/her. ''Punk New-Age child of the cosmos'' - @faustofernos
Welcome Yule, for those of us in the southern half. #WinterSolstice Mull some wine or juice, stay warm, and remember the light. 🕯 I like to recite The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper, a tradition I picked up back north-side when I worked on the @CalRevels. https://t.co/8mkS9LLtJY
Praise for this book
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"So the shortest day came," writes Cooper, and Ellis' beautiful gouache paintings depict a world that is pushing against the dark with candles and dance and song. Despite the urgency of the people to push away darkness for light, the tone of the tale is one of hope, anticipation, love, joy and spiritual happiness, culminating with Yule. People depicted morph from early hunter-gatherers to people in northern European medieval garb to a multiracial gathering. They gather in a modern Western home with mantelpiece decorated with menorah and holly, singing carols by the Christmas tree. As precious as sunshine.
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
This lovely celebration of winter solstice blends imagery from the long-ago revelries of northern Europeans with modern-day observations and global traditions...A treat to share aloud, this book makes a unique choice for seasonal sharing, opens discussion about rebirth rituals and holidays that incorporate light, and celebrates hope even in darkest times.
--School Library Journal (starred review)
Now transformed into a picture book, The Shortest Day is a joyful and timeless celebration of the winter solstice that will surely become a classic...The multitalented, Caldecott Honor-winning Carson Ellis (Du Iz Tak?) is the perfect illustrator for this project, using muted colors to accentuate the changing interplay between the sun and surrounding darkness.
--BookPage (starred review)
Here, Cooper's words are perfectly paired with Caldecott Honor artist Carson Ellis's ethereal gouache illustrations. Ellis's paintings masterfully juxtapose the physical world of Cooper's revelers with the spirits and beliefs they are celebrating. This gorgeous volume will remind readers they are a part of the vast history of the world. "Welcome Yule!"
--Shelf Awareness for Readers (starred review)
The Shortest Day began as a work for the theater...Here, Cooper's words are perfectly paired with Caldecott Honor artist Carson Ellis's ethereal gouache illustrations. Ellis's paintings masterfully juxtapose the physical world of Cooper's revelers with the spirits and beliefs they are celebrating. This gorgeous volume will remind readers they are a part of the vast history of the world. "Welcome Yule!"
--Shelf Awareness for Readers (starred review)
What people are saying
Adrian McKinty is a crime and mystery writer.
from now on, in the northern hemisphere, the days are getting longer...🙂 here's The Shortest Day by the great children's book author Susan Cooper https://t.co/MmxBWVQGyh
NPR is an independent news organization committed to informing the public about the world around us. You can find us every other place you read the news.
Dec. 21 is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Author Susan Cooper and illustrator Carson Ellis created a story called The Shortest Day that celebrates light triumphing over darkness, and as the day ends we prepare for a new year. https://trib.al/4FyJRRH