Just One Little Light by Kat Yeh illustrated Isabelle Arsenault

"When you find yourself in the dark the deepest dark the deepest dark

remind yourself you always have a light and as you wander you will wonder

how something so small can be enough when everything around you feels so big.

But one little light just one little light is enough to light the way and reveal what lies in your path.

If you are afraid just take one breath and hold these words safely within

One little light cannot light the whole sky ... but it is enough to begin."

Each page turn of this book is like welcoming dawn. The narrator comforts the child:

"You will remind yourself whenever it's dark that you can always find the light

And you will wander in the wonder that something so small was enough to start something BIG."

Image source: Isabelle Arsenault

Here is a Storymakers interview. You will think about the words wander and wonder in a very different way after watching this 6 minute presentation which includes a simple but effective craft activity.

The delicate, lovely illustrations, rendered in gouache, charcoal, and pastel, feature spirited, racially diverse children. As the text proceeds, more light and colors pervade the pages.  A sweet, upbeat guide to cultivating optimism in young children. Kirkus

In this book, both author and illustrator come together seamlessly as they encourage readers to move through the thick, dark cloud that alludes to the heavy emotions that sometimes stop us in our tracks and just don’t seem to go away. ...  every breath we take and every reminder about the courage we have within chips away at the darkness, revealing the bright, colourful beauty that lies on the other side. Montreal review of Books

I talked about Canadian illustrator Isabelle Arsenault in a previous post. She was shortlisted for the Hans Christian Andersen award in 2020.  Her art in Just one little light is truly special. This is another one of those books where I marvel at the way the illustrator has taken a brief, but also lyrical text, and given it another whole dimension. Here are other books illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault: