Dawn

by Uri Shulevitz

Pays tribute to the dramatic beauty of the daily miracle of dawn

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nature

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1974

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

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous and utterly wonderful both textually and illustratively is Uri Shulewitz’ 1974 picture book Dawn. And yes, I absolutely love love love how with very few words, how with a totally sparse text that is nevertheless richly nuanced, full of intense descriptiveness and emotion, Uri Shulewitz with and in Dawn evocatively depicts the quiet but strong delight of a grandfather and his young grandson spending silent and quality family time camping together under the stars, of soundlessly sleeping outside (with indeed, the pair of campers not even making use of a tent), and yes, how come morning, the grandfather then shows to his grandson with no conversation at all (with just physical actions) how where they had been camping (a lake and its surroundings) slowly turns from the darkness of night, to the grayness of predawn and then once the sun has risen to brightly green and shining, a lovely little tale celebrating family, nature and how nature can and equally should be observed, with quietude, with wonder, with no unnecessary talking and noisiness.

Now regarding Uri Shulewitz’ artwork for Dawn (as indeed and like usual for Shulewitz, he is both author and illustrator here), the accompanying pictures for Dawn, they do present and feature pretty much exactly the same type of silent wonder and softness as the narrative, as Uri Shulewitz’ featured text does, so that yes and indeed, Dawn most gloriously demonstates for and to me a totally and all encompassingly perfect marriage of text and images (and as such also presents a solid and rare five star rating for me). And considering that Uri Shulewitz does (in my humble opinion) often have the rather annoying tendency to render his illustrations as a bit too visually busy and frenetic for my aesthetics, that he manages to in every way avoid and refrain from doing so in Dawn, this is not only very much personally appreciated by me and by my eyes but also makes Dawn my hands down-down and absolute favourite Uri Shulewitz picture book I have read to date (and therefore also a book most highly, most warmly recommended both for its text and equally so for its artwork and with no reservations and caveats whatsoever, as both of them are simply and utterly delightful and spectacular).

[Akemi G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this. I like the serenity of the words (a poem by a Tang China poet Liu Chung-yuan--劉? 柳?) and the pictures. Not sure how a small child might respond, but if they've been in nature, I think they'd understand. It captures the quiet magic of the dawn.

P.S. January 1, 2025
I found the original poet: Liu Zongyuan (柳宗元) as entered in Wikipedia. It’s not a literal translation but more of a creative adaptation. (A note for those who are not familiar with the Chinese language—pronunciation changes over time and varies depending on the location. Liu Chung-yuan is as valid as Liu Zongyuan)

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The text and illustration are so simple, but when "Now, a light breeze" joins with the illustration of the "shivering" water, the merging of poetry and illustration is perfect. Most of the book takes place in dim shadows, making the growing light and final, full-of-color spread bloom with the exuberance of a new sunny day.

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this old children's book. It is a quiet nature story that starts with a meditative dark-blue background. Dawn appears, and life furtively wakes up with the aid of a tiny breeze on the lake. Things stir. The old man and his little grandson slowly wake up and perform their human tasks by the lake. Morning has come.

Then...a marvelous breathing earth canvas of splendid green and yellow appears, and the pair sail away into the distance. The lush green of the mountains sweep over the last pages. The red-gold sun looks almost real. Now, life is sudden and beautiful, and I don't want it to end.

I give this book 3 stars.

[Amanda Heuring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, simple story for young kids. We are using this for the first week of preschool, and doing nature related activities. Definitely read it...gorgeous art and flowing words.

[Maudie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre:Contemporary realistic
Grade:1-2
This book is filled with beautiful colors of water and a great description of nature. Filled with a vibrant green and blue and a lovely day outside. Liked this book a lot. This would be a very good book to have in the classroom when learning about nature and a story plot. This also shows that you don't have to write a lot of words to be a great story.

[Zachary McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realistic fiction Pre K- 1st
Although not very wordy I think this book can reach a pretty large audience because it gains meaning as you get older. The story is realistic and somber, it tells of the beauty and simple appreciation for nature.

[Philip Piaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely radiantly beautiful book

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

A children's book, for adults.

[Kati Zuber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dawn is different from Dusk and Snow because it takes place on the river. The paintings are of course beautiful, and the story is simple, slice of life, and soothing.

[Tina Hoggatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Often the simplest things are the most profound. So it is here. Beautiful.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are very pretty. They are done in such a way that they don't take up the entire page; rather, they are small paintings in the center. But very beautiful. The story is very poetic.

[Misbah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story describes the changes that happen at dawn as a grandpa and kid are out camping. Pretty.

[Macy Davis]

Read for CHL 403 - Picturebook, Fall 2020

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly uninteresting to me personally, but has a sense of nature and the beauty of change

[A-inn · Rating 5 out of 5]

漁翁 柳宗元

漁翁夜傍西巖宿，曉汲清湘燃楚竹。
煙銷日出不見人，欸乃一聲山水綠。
回看天際下中流，巖上無心雲相逐。

[Patty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Illustrator: Uri Shulevitz
Age: 4-8
Summary: A boy and his grandfather go out on a boat as dawn comes over a mountain and lake area.
Applications/Uses: Could be used to discuss what "dawn" is. No real use for the book in the classroom.
Themes/Connections: The word "dawn," camping?
Awards: None

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and simple picture book about Dawn coming up over the mountains and a small lake, where a grandfather and his grandson are greeting the new day.