As this enchanting picture book begins, a young boy is fondly
remembering last summer, when his dad built an awesome tree house in
their backyard. "My brother and I spent most of that summer in the tree
house. It was the best summer ever." Sadly, everything has changed this
year. His brother is now "too busy with his friends" to come to the tree
house at all. But then one night the power unexpectedly goes out while
the young boy is there by himself, and he's treated to an amazing view
of his neighborhood, blanketed in darkness and lit only by the stars.
And then, just as unexpectedly, his brother appears, wanting to join
him, to savor the magic of the night.
Author Andrew Larsen has created a fantasy-inducing (what child doesn't
pine for a house in a tree?) and emotionally satisfying story that young
children will want to revisit again and again. His unique use of the
first person to tell the story along with his simple, spare style
evocatively relates the feelings the young boy has toward his special
corner of the world and his older brother, without being overly mushy.
The emotional poignancy is further enhanced by Duýan Petričic's
expressive and detailed artwork. This book makes a great resource for
lessons on community, siblings or growing up. Separately, this book
could also be used for classroom discussions about the environmental
issues connected to the rate and severity of blackouts in recent years.
