Smoky Night

Review of Smoky Night , illustrated by David Diaz; text: Eve Bunting From Publishers Weekly

Bunting addresses urban violence in this thought-provoking and visually exciting picture book inspired by the Los Angeles riots. Although they're neighbors, Daniel's cat and Mrs. Kim's cat don't get along. Nor do Daniel and his mother shop at Mrs. Kim's market. "It's better if we buy from our own people," Daniel's mother says. But when Daniel's apartment building goes up in flames, all of the neighbors (including the cats) learn the value of bridging differences. Bunting does not explicitly connect her message about racism with the riots in her story's background, but her work is thoroughly believable and taut, steering clear of the maudlin or didactic. Diaz's dazzling mixed-media collages superimpose bold acrylic illustrations on photographs of carefully arranged backgrounds that feature a wide array of symbolic materials--from scraps of paper and shards of broken glass to spilled rice and plastic dry-cleaner bags. Interestingly, Diaz doesn't strongly differentiate the presumably Asian American Mrs. Kim from the African American characters--even the artwork here cautions the reader against assumptions about race. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This is another book that I would use with caution in the younger grades. The multimedia illustrations almost seem to make noise on the page. They are busy and the different mediums clash against each other, creating in sorts, a feeling you would have had if you would have been there during the L.A. riots. The pictures themselves are appropriate for younger kids, but the larger story is hard for them to grasp. My 3 and 4 year old focused more on the immediate story with the cats, fire, and people. My 7 year old was very disturbed by the idea of riots and her questions seemed only to form more questions and uncertainty. I think if she were a bit older she may have been better able to understand what was happening. Still it would be a good book for elementary or middle school library. I would maybe even include it for high school lessons to help introduce the subject.