Caldecott Winners - Smoky Nights by Eve Bunting, David Diaz (Illustrator)
Summary: Smoky
Nights recounts the Los Angeles riots from the perspective of a young boy,
Daniel, and his mother, Gena. They watch
as violence erupts and looting occurs at local businesses, including the dry
cleaners and Ms. Kim’s grocery store; a neighborhood grocery store that they do
not support. When a fire breaks out in
the middle of the night, the boy and his mother and many of the neighbors have
to escape to a nearby shelter. It is
there that they get to know their neighbors that they had previously shunned,
including Ms. Kim. The story is
illustrated by David Diaz who won the 1995 Caldecott for his illustrations.
My Perspective: Smoky Nights presents the difficult and controversial topics
of the violence of Los Angeles riots as well as prejudice and bias. The underlying basis for the riots is not
explained in this book. The only
explanation is given by the mother, Gena, stating that rioting can happen when
people get angry. However, the tension between
the different people groups living together is apparent when the mama tells her
son that they do not shop at Mrs. Kim’s nearby store because “it’s better to
buy from your own people” (Bunting, 1994, p.7). Daniel’s cat does not get along
with Ms. Kim’s cat. It’s a metaphor for
the racial tension that exists within the neighborhood. When Mrs. Kim store gets vandalized and
looted no one listens. Yet, when the cats are found together everyone is
surprised. The cats even drink from the
same saucer of milk. Up to that point,
it was assumed that the cats did not get along, but Daniel’s comment “They
probably didn’t know each other before” (Bunting, 1994, p.25) provides insight
into the problem. The two women introduce themselves to each other, and Gena
invites Mrs. Kim to come and visit her.
The boy’s understanding provides a solution to overcoming prejudice and
bias that can be overcome when people get to know one another.
David Diaz, the illustrator, understood the message of Smoky Nights and wanted his artwork to
be thoughtful and considerate (Koehnecke, D., 2001). With the use of color and collage, Diaz use
warm colors to portray intense moments, and more soothing tones as the action
calms down. His final picture of Mrs. Kim, Daniel, and his mother coming
together and the picture of the cats slumbering together illustrates that bias
and prejudice can be overcome if, as Daniel
implicated, people just need to get to know one another. Ultimately, this book purpose is to bring
awareness of attitudes of prejudice and bias towards other people groups. It can be used as a bridge to encourage
discussion and evaluation of these attitudes.
Library Application:
Grades 4-12: Students can study the art in Smoky Night to teach about collage,
paints, and photography. Students can
create their own collages using a variety of mediums.
Middle
School/High School level: Students can
use this book to discuss bias and prejudice.
The message is Smoky Night is that prejudice can be overcome when people
get to know one another. It can be used as a resource to develop
empathy for people who are different from themselves.
References:
Bunting, E. (1994). Smoky Night. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Co.
Koehnecke,
D. (2001). Controversial Subjects in Current Children’s Stories. Children's Literature in Education 32(1)
17-30. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005261920692
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