Smoky Night
AuthorEve Bunting
IllustratorDavid Diaz
CountryUnited States
GenreChildren's picture book Modern Realistic Fiction
PublisherHarcourt Brace
Publication date
1994
Pages40
ISBN978-0-15-269954-3
OCLC28294012
[E] 20
LC ClassPZ7.B91527 Sl 1994

Smoky Night is a 1994 children's book by Eve Bunting. It tells the story of a Los Angeles riot and its aftermath through the eyes of a young boy named Daniel. The ongoing fires and looting force neighbors who previously disliked each other to work together to find their cats. In the end, the cats teach their masters how to get along. The book made the list of One Hundred Books that Shaped the Century compiled by the Staff at the School Library Journal.[1] They added the book to the list as paving the way towards the genre of serious picture books.[2] David Diaz's acrylic, collage-like illustration of the tale earned the book the 1995 Caldecott Medal.[3]

Summary

Riots and commotion are happening around Los Angeles, where Daniel and his mother live. The family is forced to leave their apartment when the building catches fire. After all the racism and judgement happening and not getting along with their neighbor, they must come together and put their differences aside. In the upheaval, their cat and a neighbor's cat are lost. Once they get to the shelter where they were staying at, a fireman brings their cats, who have bonded over their experience.

Illustrations

Smoky Night is illustrated by David Diaz. The paintings in this book were done in acrylics on Arches watercolor paper. The backgrounds were composed and photographed by the illustrator. The title was hand-lettered by the illustrator.[4]

Awards

Awards for Smoky Night
Year Award Result Ref.
1994 CCBC Choices Winner [5]
Commonwealth Club of California Book Awards: Juvenile Winner [6]
1995 AISLE Read-Aloud Books Too Good To Miss Winner
Randolph Caldecott Medal Winner [7]
1996 Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee [8]

References

  1. ↑ SLJ. "One Hundred Books that Shaped the Century". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  2. ↑ School Library Journal: Archived 2012-03-13 at the Wayback Machine. URL accessed 2 April 2010.
  3. ↑ American Library Association: Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 - Present Archived 2011-10-18 at the Wayback Machine. URL accessed 27 May 2009.
  4. ↑ Bunting, Eve (1994). Smoky Night. San Diego, CA and New York, NY: Harcourt Brace & Company. p. 29. ISBN 9780152699543.
  5. ↑ Smoky Night by Eve Bunting. Archived from the original on 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  6. ↑ "Book awards: Commonwealth Club of California Book Awards | LibraryThing". LibraryThing.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  7. ↑ "Smoky Night | Awards & Grants". www.ala.org. Archived from the original on 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  8. ↑ "Book awards: Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee | LibraryThing". LibraryThing.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-18. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
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