Smoky Night

Smoky Night, written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by David Diaz, tells the story of a boy and his mother during a night of rioting in Los Angeles.

Diaz’s pictures are wonderful. I loved how the backgrounds of the pages were different textures. It made me want to reach out and touch the pages. There isbubble wrap on one page, textured paint on another, tinfoil on yet another, and cereal on another. The illustrations are made up of warm, dark colors. They are also painted in a way to lend depth and texture to the characters. I thought it was interesting that the African-American mother and son are not depicted as being any different from Mrs. Kim, who I assume is Asian. In that way, the pictures help to develop one of the themes that all people truly are more alike than they are different.

The writing is simple, which makes it easier for the reader to get involved in the story and believe that it is actually happening. I could just imagine a scared, curious little boy and his mother during such an event.

This is a great book to teach students about riots and other conflicts. Bunting lends insight into a scary time for children and adults alike. The book has a great theme—that people need to tolerate each other and get along. This theme is developed both through the characters in the riots needing to get along and the two cats needing to get along.