There are some books I love for their subtlety, for their quiet tenderness that makes you want to almost whisper the precious words as you read to your kids. BEFORE MORNING, written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Beth Krommes, is one of those books.
BEFORE MORNING tells the story of of a young girl who wishes for just a little bit more time for her family to be together. She hopes for a snow day so her mother, a pilot, will be grounded and forced to stay home. Through Krommes enchanting scratch board illustrations, we see what happens as the child sleeps and her deepest desires are fulfilled as a blanket of snow falls outside her window.
BEFORE MORNING is written as an invocation, a poem that invites or asks for something to happen. Here, the child asks for air that turns to feathers, earth that turns to sugar, and for all that is heavy to turn light. She dreams of snow that will give her just one more morning with her mother before she has to take off again. It is gorgeous poetry, matched by perfect pacing and delicately detailed illustrations that so beautifully enhance the prose. This is one of those emotionally resonant stories that gets you right in the gut, and I have no doubt it will be treasured for years and years to come.
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Want the book? Get it here! BEFORE MORNING, by Joyce Sidman. *This is an affiliate link.
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