DARK DAY, LIGHT NIGHT
by Jan Carr & illustrated by James E. Ransome
An exceptionally warm vignette. 'Manda needs cheering up; her Aunt Ruby makes her come up with a list of the things she likes, and then brings out her own list, which includes everything from changes in weather, to music, to 'Manda herself. This simple story, told in a colloquial first-person present tense, is seamlessly written; from sentence to sentence and page to page Carr (Beauty and the Beast, 1993, not reviewed, etc.) gives rise to the images, sensations, and emotions that make 'Manda's restored well-being authentic. The tenderly expressive portraits show African-Americans in slightly old-fashioned surroundings; each frame fits snugly with the text, and the rhythm and the resonance between them is flawless. (Picture book. 4-8)