Dusk

by Uri Shulevitz

One December afternoon, boy with dog and grandfather with beard take a walk to watch the sun begin to set over the river. When the sun drops low in the sky, they start home. Buildings grow dimmer. People are rushing. As nature's lights go out, one by one, city's lights turn on, revealing brilliant Hanukkah, Kwanza, and Christmas displays in streets, homes, and stores. A stunning picture book that's sure to be a winter holiday classic by Caldecott Medalist Uri Shulevitz.

Genres: Picture Books, Christmas, Childrens, Holiday, Fiction, Jewish, Kids

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2013

About the author

Uri Shulevitz was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He won the 1969 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, recognizing The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship, an Eastern European fairy tale retold by Arthur Ransome in 1916.

Reviews

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Snow about a billion times, it was fun to see the same sort of characters in a vibrantly-colored world.

[Quasar · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes!

Crushed.

First, I never got the hang of reading this book--"grandfather with beard", "lady with hat", it just felt off to read it, rather than sounding stylized. Then they added an alien from another planet who looked like just another white guy, but spoke in some language that sounded like a combination of Yiddish and Polish. WTF? We didn't NEED an alien! We definitely didn't NEED to try to read that smashup of nonsense words after the weird way the book was already going. I think the book had already gotten on my nerves and then the alien was the last straw. I didn't even care that the lights indicated in people's windows at night were multi-faith. It's just not a good enough book to read, even for that.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, but can't really explain why. It was kind of odd, but in a really enjoyable way.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore Uri's art but this really doesn't have the same oomph as "Snow!". There were 4 pages of rhyming shopping poems that seemed really out of placed.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this gorgeous book and it's just perfect for the winter months when it starts to get dark really early. A boy and his grandfather go on a walk at dusk. They watch the sun set, then they walk through the city, noticing all the lights that come on as the sky grows darker and darker. It's a favorite of mine for storytime because it's so beautiful. It might be a good choice for storytimes during the holiday season because while it does not mention any holiday in the words, the illustrations show city light displays and window displays for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. You can talk about them or not, depending on your audience.

(Note: I do not advocate for holiday storytimes, which exclude members of your community. This may be a nice alternative since it depicts what families are likely to see on their own city streets, but if even pictures of holiday celebrations is too much, this is not the book for you.)

[Deanne Hyde boilesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dusk
Opening Move: During winter, there are many different types of festivals that use lights and candles. Have you seen lights as part of displays, parades, or in peoples’ homes? What might they mean? DO you have lights at your house?

Opening reflection: Lay the ground work for children’s understanding of diverse people and setting.

Text to world: More serious observance has become a little more normal, embracing all winter celebrations. Folks are learning more about older festivals and customs forgotten from the old world that did not become mainstream in the new world. How exciting for many celebrations to come together, not to overshadow one with another, but bring joy and hope to all during winter's dreary time. I liked how the book showed the lights from Kwanza, Christmas, and Hanukah. It would have been nice to have seen Winter Solstice and a few other lights ceremonies. This was a nice show of having folks walk around celebrating on the street with the folks trying to by items for supper or candy and toys.

Bloom’s
1.Describe the people that the family meet on their trip?
2.Summarize the story and why they went to the city?
3. Do you use lights to decorate at holidays?
4. Find a place in the story where everyone is using lights. Does the display of lights have the same meaning to all the people?
5. Is there a way for all the people to share a light ceremony?
6. How might one share your story?

Reviews

Harrison Smith, Sarah. (11 Dec. 2013). "Light Up the Night, Dusk by Uri Shulevitz." New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/boo...

[Drew Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a short winter day comes to its close, Boy with Dog and Grandfather with Beard watch as the sunlight fades and the city lights come to life.

Uri Shulevitz's Snow became a fast favorite in our house a couple years ago, and although this one was fairly well-received by The Boy (2), it doesn't seem to have the same charm and innocence about it. Most of the art was still really interesting and I liked that the setting took a festive turn (though I have trouble with books that try to cram Kwanzaa into a holiday story as if it has the same history and significance as Christmas or Hanukkah), but some of the middle seemed disconnected. Planet Zataplat? Come on, Uri.

[Bill]

I am not quite sure what to say about this book. Parts of it were beautiful and lyrical, with simple yet completely appropriate language; other parts, like the four profiles in verse of the passersby, seemed oddly out of place. The text-illustration combinations I found compelling on most pages. I am eager to find out about what child readers' reactions and responses to this book are.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although dusk brings an end to the bright daylight hours, a boy and his grandfather find plenty of brightness at which to marvel. As lights come on in houses and stores and displays for the winter holidays are turned on, the night becomes almost as bright as day. The illustrations capture the richness of the sometimes garish holiday displays.

[Elaine Pelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just loved the enchanting illustrations, Sendak-esque narrative, urban setting, and multicultural themes. A wonderful holiday book! I would have been mesmerized by this story as a child.

[Romelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the illustrations and the fact that the city comes to life after dusk. In the evening we find the city lights all lit up revealing a celebration of Christmas, Hannukkah and Kwanzaa.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A boy and his grandfather take a walk at dusk, encounter holiday shoppers, including an alien, and then admire multi-faith, winter holiday, light displays as night falls.

I was happy to return to the world of Snow, which so beautifully captured the magic of the first snowfall. Unfortunately, this book did not attempt to show the wonder of nightfall through a child’s eyes. Instead, it is a convoluted way of showing the celebration of winter holidays without actually naming them, which is great for teachers, librarians, and caregivers in search of an inoffensive December holiday book, but it is also a missed opportunity.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found another special picture book by Uri Shulevitz, and one to remember for this year's coming December holidays. A boy with dog, his grandfather with beard go walking through the city as the sun sets. As it disappears, at "Dusk", they notice lights going on and shoppers for various things emerge as Shulevitz tells in rhyme, some of it nonsense! It would make a fun read-aloud and something for children to discover what they notice in the hours around dinnertime. Shulevitz' easy-to-recognize illustrations show off his written words with brightest lights in many places, showing off Hanukkah, Kwanza, and Christmas displays.

[SKP · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a children’s librarian, I used to do a storytime theme in December that I called “Holiday Lights” which featured the characteristics that Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa all have in common: love, peace, joy, family, sharing, celebration, lights, decorations, etc. I used this story a couple of times because of the emphasis on lights and the fact that all 3 holidays were subtly represented through the lights. It is kind of an unusual book, but the illustrations are amazing, and the kids always enjoyed it. I am retired now, but I still enjoyed reading this book in December.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!
Boy and dog and grandfather with beard walk to the river to watch the sun go down. On their way home boy and dog notice the darkening sky and the lighting of the windows. Three slightly maniacal rhyming poems of shoppers interrupt the dreamy lyrical prose portraying a magical world where the lights of Christmas, Kwanza, and Hanukkah shine in shop windows.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I had preread this one before I read it to my class. I would have just skipped it. I liked the vibrant colors of the illustrations. The text didn't flow well, especially when we got to the townspeople talking about their shopping. And the alien - what? I think we're hitting the "diversity" idea a bit too hard.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy, his dog, and his grandfather go for a walk in the evening and experience the changing light of dusk.

Heavy on the illustrations (which are good), this is a book with very few words. The story is centered around the holiday season, without being outwardly Christmas- or Hanukkah-based.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this odd little book. It captures the feel of walking through the streets during the winter without being overtly holiday themed. I also like that it depicts a grandfather/grandson relationship.

[Misbah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A grandpa and a kid go on a walk and its dusk. The story describes all the changes that happen in the city when night happens.

[Bonnie Tesch · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's interesting and pretty and I usually want to skip about two pages in the middle because they are out-of-tone with the rest of the book.

[Zoe Schamehorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book. Charming story. Wonderful winter (probably pre-Christmas) read.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about the transition of natural light to electric light at day's end.

Illustrations are ok.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The colors and style of the illustrations in this book are just really fun, and the text is too!

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy and his grandfather are walking as the dusk begins.

[Launna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t really like the way the text was written. The illustrations are different.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just didn't get it.

Not sure why the alien was there.
Not sure why we stuck rhyming speeches in there.
Not sure why the point was "lights everywhere" when the title is Dusk.

[haeli · Rating 1 out of 5]

0 stars i’m in shock

[Miss Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice illustrations, weird story

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the mellow tone and the gorgeous illustrations.