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Да прогониш мрака с песен
В тъмно зимно утро едно шестгодишно момиче трябва да измине цяла миля пеш, за да хване училищния автобус. През снега, плашещата гора, шаващите в храстите сенки и развиделяващите се пътеки то ще изпее страховете си, за да прогони мрака.
Великолепните илюстрации на Джули Морстад представят магическия преход от нощта към деня, от тайнственото сияние на нощния сняг към събуждането на сутрешното небе. Книга, в която едно дете се бори със страха от тъмното и само открива начин да се справи.
Великолепните илюстрации на Джули Морстад представят магическия преход от нощта към деня, от тайнственото сияние на нощния сняг към събуждането на сутрешното небе. Книга, в която едно дете се бори със страха от тъмното и само открива начин да се справи.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2010
3 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Woodward
8 books48 followersCaroline Woodward is a writer and now-retired lighthouse keeper from the Lennard Island Lightstation, near Tofino, B.C. She has relocated to her favourite village, New Denver, B.C. where she and her husband founded the Motherlode Bookstore (1993-2001). She writes short and long fiction, poetry, children's picture books, for children aged 8-11, young adult fiction, non-fiction essays and articles, book reviews, sound pieces for CBC Radio and assorted other ephemera.
She grew up on a homestead in the north Peace River region of B.C. without benefit of electricity, TV, running water, computers, et cetera but with hundreds of acres of land, horses to ride, forts to build and a radio which ran on batteries. She wrote a weekly column for the Alaska Highway News for two years while in high school and after earning a B.A. at the University of British Columbia, she began publishing sporadic newspaper and magazine travel articles about her adventures overseas.
She worked as a volunteer in Sri Lanka with Canadian Crossroads International immediately following her graduation. While hiking in Nepal in 1981, she self-published a 12 page chapbook, A Blue Fable, on rice paper, a feat of naivety and courage lauded by the Toronto Star and the Vancouver Sun among others, with surprising sales ensuing. After returning from her travels in Asia and Europe to UBC to earn a Teacher's Certificate, she worked for the next two decades as a teacher at all levels from elementary school to college seminars teaching social studies and creative writing, as well as several tours as a group leader (17-21 year olds) with Canada World Youth to India and Sri Lanka, group home worker, adult protective services worker, gardener, and caretaker, writing all the while. She attended David Thompson University Centre's Creative Writing program in Nelson, BC and earned a Diploma in Creative Writing in 1984 which solidified and enlarged her understanding of the writer's task.
Her first collection of short fiction, Disturbing the Peace (Polestar: 1990, second printing 1995) was a finalist for the BC Book Prizes Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. Stories from this collection have been anthologized for use in high school and university literature classes by Oxford University Press, Prentice-Hall, and Nelson (Canada), and in other collections by Second Story Press, Polestar Press and the Women's Press in Canada. Her second book, a novel, Alaska Highway Two-Step (Polestar: 1993), (Harbour Publishing: 2017) was a Globe & Mail Top 100 Books of 1993 and a finalist for the First Mystery Novel Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada.
Work is a 4-Letter Word (2000), a collection of illustrated short fiction stories about entry level jobs was written for adult literacy students as a contract project sponsored by national and provincial literacy government education ministries and the regional literacy organization in the West Kootenays. Most importantly, it was written for and read out loud by Selkirk College adult literacy students in Nakusp, BC, the first readers and responders, and their instructors, Alison Alder and Richard Allin. Further, it was designed and produced as a final year project by Kootenay School of the Arts publishing program student, Laurie Burke and then distributed to 250 literacy programs across Canada.
In 2017, Northern Lights College awarded Caroline Woodward an honorary associate of arts degree to celebrate her literary contribution of books set in the Peace River region for adults and children, including Singing Away the Dark, which is now published in South Korea, Bulgaria, Quebec (Chanter Dans Le Noir, translated by Fanny Britt, published by Le Courte d'Échelle), China, Japan and the throughout the English-speaking world.
After a busy and varied career, mostly in publishing and bookselling as a manuscript reader, publicist, managing editor, author, playwright, reading series and festival organizer, creative writing teacher, books
She grew up on a homestead in the north Peace River region of B.C. without benefit of electricity, TV, running water, computers, et cetera but with hundreds of acres of land, horses to ride, forts to build and a radio which ran on batteries. She wrote a weekly column for the Alaska Highway News for two years while in high school and after earning a B.A. at the University of British Columbia, she began publishing sporadic newspaper and magazine travel articles about her adventures overseas.
She worked as a volunteer in Sri Lanka with Canadian Crossroads International immediately following her graduation. While hiking in Nepal in 1981, she self-published a 12 page chapbook, A Blue Fable, on rice paper, a feat of naivety and courage lauded by the Toronto Star and the Vancouver Sun among others, with surprising sales ensuing. After returning from her travels in Asia and Europe to UBC to earn a Teacher's Certificate, she worked for the next two decades as a teacher at all levels from elementary school to college seminars teaching social studies and creative writing, as well as several tours as a group leader (17-21 year olds) with Canada World Youth to India and Sri Lanka, group home worker, adult protective services worker, gardener, and caretaker, writing all the while. She attended David Thompson University Centre's Creative Writing program in Nelson, BC and earned a Diploma in Creative Writing in 1984 which solidified and enlarged her understanding of the writer's task.
Her first collection of short fiction, Disturbing the Peace (Polestar: 1990, second printing 1995) was a finalist for the BC Book Prizes Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. Stories from this collection have been anthologized for use in high school and university literature classes by Oxford University Press, Prentice-Hall, and Nelson (Canada), and in other collections by Second Story Press, Polestar Press and the Women's Press in Canada. Her second book, a novel, Alaska Highway Two-Step (Polestar: 1993), (Harbour Publishing: 2017) was a Globe & Mail Top 100 Books of 1993 and a finalist for the First Mystery Novel Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada.
Work is a 4-Letter Word (2000), a collection of illustrated short fiction stories about entry level jobs was written for adult literacy students as a contract project sponsored by national and provincial literacy government education ministries and the regional literacy organization in the West Kootenays. Most importantly, it was written for and read out loud by Selkirk College adult literacy students in Nakusp, BC, the first readers and responders, and their instructors, Alison Alder and Richard Allin. Further, it was designed and produced as a final year project by Kootenay School of the Arts publishing program student, Laurie Burke and then distributed to 250 literacy programs across Canada.
In 2017, Northern Lights College awarded Caroline Woodward an honorary associate of arts degree to celebrate her literary contribution of books set in the Peace River region for adults and children, including Singing Away the Dark, which is now published in South Korea, Bulgaria, Quebec (Chanter Dans Le Noir, translated by Fanny Britt, published by Le Courte d'Échelle), China, Japan and the throughout the English-speaking world.
After a busy and varied career, mostly in publishing and bookselling as a manuscript reader, publicist, managing editor, author, playwright, reading series and festival organizer, creative writing teacher, books
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
January 31, 2018
I enjoyed this sweet rhyming book. It is a quick read. It was funny to see the kids read this. The girl has to walk a mile to get to the bus stop. The kids didn't understand that and it scared them. Why does she have to work by herself through the woods? "She is very brave isn't she", I said.
I love the illustrations. The mood feels very isolating until the girl starts to sing and the tone changes and brightens. When the girl makes it to the bus, you rejoice. She also sings to the trees, which I do too. I believe that people used to sing to the trees all the time and they miss that. It's cool to see someone else doing that too.
I love the illustrations. The mood feels very isolating until the girl starts to sing and the tone changes and brightens. When the girl makes it to the bus, you rejoice. She also sings to the trees, which I do too. I believe that people used to sing to the trees all the time and they miss that. It's cool to see someone else doing that too.
October 10, 2018
Beautiful illustrations show a 6 yr old walking a mile to catch the bus to school. It is still dark and the little girl feels nervous being all alone, so sings away the dark. A nice idea, the simple rhyming text wasn't as good as the illustrations though.
December 28, 2016
Beautiful, atmospheric picture book about a kid walking a mile through the snow at dawn to get to the bus stop.
August 24, 2017
Wow. Somehow, a lullaby to rouse the reader (and character) rather than sway them to sleep. This is beautiful and moving and the first illustration and second to last one are astounding.
December 27, 2010
The range of different going to school books varies wildly. This is understandable. After all, the act of attending school is one of the first moments of autonomy a child experiences. This is particularly true in parts of the world where children are trusted to get themselves to school without the constant hovering aid of their parental units. In America, much of the school year takes place when the days are short and nights are long. As such, Singing Away the Dark presents a going-to-school concept that I've not seen really done before. In this case, the fear of going to school isn't what the child will encounter once there. It's about the journey just to get to the bus itself. The fear in this book is far deeper than just a mere anxiety over classmates and teachers. It's fear of the dark and what it holds and hides, and how one small child can make that fear go away by simply putting her fears to song.
"When I was six and went to school, / I walked a long, long way . . . / I leave my house, so nice and warm, / on a windy winter's day." A country girl takes off one day on her regular trip across a wooded snowy mile in order to reach the school bus. The problem? The darkness of the pre-dawn is more than a little frightening. Fortunately the girl has learned that if she sings loud and strong her fears will go away. That doesn't mean that there aren't other things to watch out for as well (bulls, etc.) but in the end she sees the safe lights of the school bus ahead and she's made it for another day.
Ms. Woodward's story appears to come from her own youth of growing up in British Columbia's Peace River region. Her little bio at the end of the book says as much, though she has the wherewithal to include a tongue-in-cheek, "where all the children are brave and tough and where she really did walk a mile to her school bus stop, uphill both ways." There's just the slightest hint of Lake Woebegone to that statement, I think. Now Ms. Woodward's writing itself is spare and to the point. So much so that it took a third reading for me to realize that she'd written this story in rhyme. I see that lack of notice on my part as a good thing. Clearly her wordplay feels as natural as speech if the reader doesn't stumble over any awkward rhymes or phrases in the course of the tale. In fact, you get so into the story itself that the rhyming pattern is the last thing on your mind. "The cattle block the road ahead. / The bull is munching hay. / I softly sing to calm myself / and plan the safest way."
I have a special appreciation for illustrators that can capture that strangest of visual concepts: nighttime snow. It has a quality to it that daytime snow lacks. A couple picture books are particularly good at showing off the harsh contrast between black skies and white grounds. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr would be the first example to come to mind. The far more city-centric, but no less pitch perfect, Snow Day by Komako Sakai is another great example. Morstad's illustrations are tricky because unlike those other books she has to present early morning darkness without so much as a streak of dawn. In essence, she has to capture that rare quality of distinguishing between night and day without relying on light to make up the difference. She does this mostly through the degree to which you can make out the heroine's clothing. In spite the dark, you can always make her out without difficulty. It gives you the sense that she exists during daytime hours, then.
Not that the images don't work on other levels as well. Since we are reading what is in essence a memory, Morstad had to decide whether or not to make the book look historical or contemporary. She's gone with historical, but very little actually dates the story. The little girl's clothes aren't obviously dated, since hats and scarves and mittens for kids rarely go out of style (and nothing as ridiculous as legwarmers pops up either). The girl's yellow lunchpail has a fine retro feel to it, but not so much that it stands out. As for the school bus itself, those magnificent methods of entling transportation have changed almost not at all since I was a small fry myself. They are the eternal yellow harbingers of schooltime. Instantly recognizable. Forever unchanging, no matter where you are.
It's the combination that makes Singing Away the Dark stand apart from the pack. Very few books about six-year-olds can show kids that age act in realistically brave ways. Yet a story about a girl who has to walk a mile in the dark and the snow all by herself is going to hit a chord. Even better is the fact that the book offers a solution to her problem: How to confront early morning scary darkness? The solution is practical and may inspire real life kids to do the same. Beautiful on both a visual and a literary level, Morstad and Woodward are a match made in heaven. If you're looking for going-to-school books outside of the usual fare that also happen to be easy on the eyes, this is one of the finer offerings out there. A real treat and a great little title. Well worth discovering.
For ages 4-8.
"When I was six and went to school, / I walked a long, long way . . . / I leave my house, so nice and warm, / on a windy winter's day." A country girl takes off one day on her regular trip across a wooded snowy mile in order to reach the school bus. The problem? The darkness of the pre-dawn is more than a little frightening. Fortunately the girl has learned that if she sings loud and strong her fears will go away. That doesn't mean that there aren't other things to watch out for as well (bulls, etc.) but in the end she sees the safe lights of the school bus ahead and she's made it for another day.
Ms. Woodward's story appears to come from her own youth of growing up in British Columbia's Peace River region. Her little bio at the end of the book says as much, though she has the wherewithal to include a tongue-in-cheek, "where all the children are brave and tough and where she really did walk a mile to her school bus stop, uphill both ways." There's just the slightest hint of Lake Woebegone to that statement, I think. Now Ms. Woodward's writing itself is spare and to the point. So much so that it took a third reading for me to realize that she'd written this story in rhyme. I see that lack of notice on my part as a good thing. Clearly her wordplay feels as natural as speech if the reader doesn't stumble over any awkward rhymes or phrases in the course of the tale. In fact, you get so into the story itself that the rhyming pattern is the last thing on your mind. "The cattle block the road ahead. / The bull is munching hay. / I softly sing to calm myself / and plan the safest way."
I have a special appreciation for illustrators that can capture that strangest of visual concepts: nighttime snow. It has a quality to it that daytime snow lacks. A couple picture books are particularly good at showing off the harsh contrast between black skies and white grounds. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr would be the first example to come to mind. The far more city-centric, but no less pitch perfect, Snow Day by Komako Sakai is another great example. Morstad's illustrations are tricky because unlike those other books she has to present early morning darkness without so much as a streak of dawn. In essence, she has to capture that rare quality of distinguishing between night and day without relying on light to make up the difference. She does this mostly through the degree to which you can make out the heroine's clothing. In spite the dark, you can always make her out without difficulty. It gives you the sense that she exists during daytime hours, then.
Not that the images don't work on other levels as well. Since we are reading what is in essence a memory, Morstad had to decide whether or not to make the book look historical or contemporary. She's gone with historical, but very little actually dates the story. The little girl's clothes aren't obviously dated, since hats and scarves and mittens for kids rarely go out of style (and nothing as ridiculous as legwarmers pops up either). The girl's yellow lunchpail has a fine retro feel to it, but not so much that it stands out. As for the school bus itself, those magnificent methods of entling transportation have changed almost not at all since I was a small fry myself. They are the eternal yellow harbingers of schooltime. Instantly recognizable. Forever unchanging, no matter where you are.
It's the combination that makes Singing Away the Dark stand apart from the pack. Very few books about six-year-olds can show kids that age act in realistically brave ways. Yet a story about a girl who has to walk a mile in the dark and the snow all by herself is going to hit a chord. Even better is the fact that the book offers a solution to her problem: How to confront early morning scary darkness? The solution is practical and may inspire real life kids to do the same. Beautiful on both a visual and a literary level, Morstad and Woodward are a match made in heaven. If you're looking for going-to-school books outside of the usual fare that also happen to be easy on the eyes, this is one of the finer offerings out there. A real treat and a great little title. Well worth discovering.
For ages 4-8.
January 13, 2022
A young girl narrates the story of her long walk to catch the schoolbus in this lovely wintertime picture-book from author Caroline Woodward and illustrator Julie Morstad. The tale is told in rhyme, and chronicles the early morning darkness through which the girl must travel, and the noises and sights that frighten her. Fortunately, she is able to sing away the dark - to sing away her fear...
Although I wouldn't describe the text as particularly memorable, I did find the narrative of Singing Away the Dark quite engaging, and appreciated the central idea of using song to conquer one's fears. The artwork, on the other hand, is simply gorgeous, and won me over completely. Morstad makes excellent use of the white space on her page - appropriately enough, given the wintry setting - and the resulting contrast between the snowy vistas and the other elements (the trees, the girl, etc.) is powerfully realized. My favorite scene was undoubtedly the one (partially captured on the cover of the book) in which the girl walks through the birch trees. Recommended to anyone who loves beautiful picture-book art, or who is looking for stories about winter and/or children conquering their fears.
Although I wouldn't describe the text as particularly memorable, I did find the narrative of Singing Away the Dark quite engaging, and appreciated the central idea of using song to conquer one's fears. The artwork, on the other hand, is simply gorgeous, and won me over completely. Morstad makes excellent use of the white space on her page - appropriately enough, given the wintry setting - and the resulting contrast between the snowy vistas and the other elements (the trees, the girl, etc.) is powerfully realized. My favorite scene was undoubtedly the one (partially captured on the cover of the book) in which the girl walks through the birch trees. Recommended to anyone who loves beautiful picture-book art, or who is looking for stories about winter and/or children conquering their fears.
August 13, 2012
A summer-long swelter has had me wishful for winter. My daughter entering Kindergarten has made me nostalgic for elementary school, with its sharpened pencils, blunt-tip scissors, and cubby holes waiting for my coat and backpack. This book is the perfect anecdote for these longings...I actually feel chilly when I read it. The little girl in the story is using her imagination to make a common journey uncommon. You feel uneasy, excited, and scared (yes, Anne Shirley, deliciously scared!) as she takes her path to school. The journey IS the adventure. There is only way to treat a book like this one. Hug it and read it again.
April 14, 2014
I love this book. It brought me back to my own childhood, when I was scared of walking alone to school. I didn't live in the country, but there was a big dog...
Many books have good words and charming illustrations, but there are few that pull together generations or capture the fears and triumphs of children so beautifully, making you feel small again. I love the simple boldness of the protagonist and the way she confronts fear. This is one for rereading, for enjoying again and again.
Many books have good words and charming illustrations, but there are few that pull together generations or capture the fears and triumphs of children so beautifully, making you feel small again. I love the simple boldness of the protagonist and the way she confronts fear. This is one for rereading, for enjoying again and again.
December 11, 2011
Хубава история, прекрасни илюстрации, чуден превод :-)
November 2, 2012
Made me think of a book I grew up reading over and over: The Mitten, by Alvin Tresselt.
December 24, 2012
Oh this takes me back to all the small moments of bravery that once seemed so huge on my own walk to school in the journeys of childhood.
March 9, 2011
LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! It's beautiful, I could stare at the artwork all day and the story is lovely. I'm going out and buying this one for my personal library collection because that's how much I adored it.
Maybe I love it because the illustrations remind me of one of my favorite Etsy artists. They have a vintage feel to them, but the book doesn't feel dated at all. It really could take place in any time period.
Our narrator is only six and lives in a very snowy wooded area and has to walk a long way just to get to the bus stop. At first the task seems daunting and scary, but our narrator has learned to sing away the dark and by singing she's no longer afraid. It's a simple story and it's sweet, but the lyrical rhyming text make the book stand out. "When I was six and went to school/I walked a long, long, way.../I leave my house, so nice and warm, on a windy winter's day." Don't you just want to read more?
The illustrations, as I mentioned before, are gorgeous. The are filled with detail and the snow looks perfect and white and the woods dark and somewhat scary. But slowly throughout the darkness fades as our narrator becomes more brave.
A beautiful book-Highly recommended!!
Maybe I love it because the illustrations remind me of one of my favorite Etsy artists. They have a vintage feel to them, but the book doesn't feel dated at all. It really could take place in any time period.
Our narrator is only six and lives in a very snowy wooded area and has to walk a long way just to get to the bus stop. At first the task seems daunting and scary, but our narrator has learned to sing away the dark and by singing she's no longer afraid. It's a simple story and it's sweet, but the lyrical rhyming text make the book stand out. "When I was six and went to school/I walked a long, long, way.../I leave my house, so nice and warm, on a windy winter's day." Don't you just want to read more?
The illustrations, as I mentioned before, are gorgeous. The are filled with detail and the snow looks perfect and white and the woods dark and somewhat scary. But slowly throughout the darkness fades as our narrator becomes more brave.
A beautiful book-Highly recommended!!
August 1, 2012
Подхождах с известни резерви към тази детска книга или по-скоро към корицата й, понеже самото издание не бях прелиствала. Преди няколко седмици обаче ми попадна в новата книжарница "Грийнуич" и с голямо удоволствие установих, че книгата е наистина много красива. Или пък вкусът ми леко се е изменил (към по-добро, разбира се :Р).
"Да прогониш мрака с песен" е една от онези книги, които са толкова хубави, че в никакъв случай не биха имали успех сред българските читатели. Или от онези книги, които като гледам в интернет на английски, ми се иска да бяха издадени на български. Само дето този път наистина я има. :)
"Да прогониш мрака с песен" е една от онези книги, които са толкова хубави, че в никакъв случай не биха имали успех сред българските читатели. Или от онези книги, които като гледам в интернет на английски, ми се иска да бяха издадени на български. Само дето този път наистина я има. :)
May 16, 2016
I love Julie Morstad’s illustrations, so many great books: the recent When Green Becomes Tomatoes, This Is Sadie, The How-To Book, Swan, among many others. I found this one displayed at my library, and snatched it up. This story, told in rhyme, shows a young girl leaving home, walking down snowy hills past a forest to catch the bus to school. It’s a long way, and the woods are dark, and animal shapes are a little scary. Then there’s cattle blocking a road, and she must find another path. The text says: “I softly sing to calm myself/and plan the safest way.” The book’s simple poetry will help open conversations about being a little scared and what actions, like singing, can help.
January 2, 2011
An utterly beautiful and evocative story of a little girl braving the elements to just get to her school bus. When our heroine was only six she had to walk a full mile in the dark and the snow every schoolday. It wasn't the length of the walk that scared her, though, but the blackness before the dawn. Fortunately, she discovers that if she sings it keeps the dark away. Told in verse, Woodward's effortless text perfectly accompanies an expert series of illustrations. One of the loveliest little picture books of the year and a nice take on the whole going-to-school genre. - B
November 23, 2011
The brave main character of this little tale tells the story of her mile-long walk to the school bus stop each morning. She meets many perils, including walking in the darkness, through the forest, among many dangerous animals. But she doesn’t allow herself to be afraid; instead, she sings the dark away.
It is revealed in the information about the author that she actually did walk a mile each morning to the bus stop. By reading this story, children can see a strategy for dealing with difficulties in a positive way.
It is revealed in the information about the author that she actually did walk a mile each morning to the bus stop. By reading this story, children can see a strategy for dealing with difficulties in a positive way.
June 30, 2015
This is one of those books for children, that works on another level for the adults who read with them. The story is a simple one, about a six year old's slightly scary walk through the dark and woods to catch the school bus. The magic is in the wording and illustrations.
The illustrations are gorgeous; I would hang them on my wall. What surprised me though, is that a 2 year old loved the pictures to. She went through the book over and over after we'd read it, pointing out details and in the pictures and commenting (in her 2 year old way).
The illustrations are gorgeous; I would hang them on my wall. What surprised me though, is that a 2 year old loved the pictures to. She went through the book over and over after we'd read it, pointing out details and in the pictures and commenting (in her 2 year old way).
June 1, 2016
When I was a young girl growing up in Iowa, I walked to school in some wicked cold weather. I didn't have to walk a mile in the dark, but I can relate to bundling up and leaving a warm house to go out into the cold on the way to school. The little girl has to walk through some dark, scary woods in order to get to her bus stop (which is hard to imagine in this day & age). She calms herself by singing. Julie Morstad's illustrations are so charming and sweet, this would be a nice addition to my classroom library.
July 18, 2011
A quiet book, but I loved the artwork.
February 25, 2011
Going-to school. Rhyming story- nice art
February 26, 2011
Love the illustrations.
March 14, 2011
A poetic view of a long walk to the bus, through snow and woods and fields. Illustrations are very sweet an simplistic, harking back to a simpler time.
April 16, 2011
Love this illustrator! Glad to see her involved in more work! (It's a lovely story, too).
July 3, 2011
Just a quiet story of a girl walking to school in the dark. Nice illustrations and gentle rhyming verse. Very enjoyable.
June 17, 2011
such sweet illustrations!
January 3, 2013
Sweet and simple. Made me think of my own walks through the dark woods as a kid, and how singing made me braver.
April 3, 2012
I want to live in this book.
November 29, 2012
this is one I would like to own. A charming story about a young girl walking to the bus through the snow and dark and singing a song to light her way. Beautiful illustrations.
April 27, 2013
One to buy. Introverted and sweet story of power of music against darkness.
August 20, 2013
Simple and lovely. Winter is beautifully captured in this sweet little story. The illustrations are charming and crisp.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews