The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson illustrated by Beth Krommes

Krommes’s breathtaking scratchboard illustrations, in black and white with accents of yellow and gold, embody and enhance the text’s message that light and dark, like comfort and mystery, are not mutually exclusive, but integral parts of each other. Kirkus Star review

Having talked about a couple of recent Caldecott winners I decided to hunt out some of the past winners and honour titles that I had not seen. One that caught my eye was The House in the Night - 2009 winner. I wonder why I didn't buy this for my previous school library - I love it and it would have most certainly been a book I would have put into the hands of our very skilled art teacher.

Here is the key to the house.

In the house burns a light.

In that light rests a bed.

On that bed waits a book.

In that book flies a bird.

In that bird breathes a song ...

all about the starry dark.

Through the dark glows the moon.

On the moon's face shines the sun.

Sun in the moon, moon in the dark,

dark in the song, song in the bird,

bird in the book, book on the bed,

bed in the light,

light in the house.

Here is the key to the house,

the house in the night,

a home full of light.

This is as close to perfect as a picture book can get. Text and woodcut illustrations combine to create a superb artwork. We see the enchanting power of four imaginations becoming one: the author, the illustrator, the child in the book who reads, and you, the reader. The child reading in bed is transported by the book and we join him/her on a journey. We feel the comforting, enveloping warmth of home, and freedom to fly to the sun and the moon. A book within a book, where it begins it also ends, and in-between there is a whole other, tantalising world. Readings Melbourne

In 2024 I penned a blog post - Meet the Illustrator Beth Krommes - I should have hunted out The House in the Night for that post.

As well as a regular format you can also buy this book as a board book and even though I have not seen it, I think this book could work quite well presented that way. Very sadly, you were probably expecting me to say this, here in Australia the hardcover version of this book will be way beyond any school library budget at over AUS$37.

Take a look at this blog post from Seven Impossible Things where Beth Krommes talks about her art techniques and you can also see an original storyboard for The House in the Night.

I once had the idea that my former school library could place a large mural on the first landing as you walk up the 20 stairs to the library. I even created a Pinterest with ideas. The page in this book "On that bed waits a book" would be SO perfect if you could get permission from Beth Krommes to recreate it for the wall.

If you are lucky enough to be working with trainee teachers or even people studying to be a Teacher-Librarian or tertiary students enrolled in a Children's Literature course this is a book you must include as an exemplar of page turns, art, text placement, cover design, and so much more. The title page alone is worthy of close inspection:

Companion book: