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.
