Smokey Night

By

Joanne Olsen

Bunting, Eve. Smoky Night Illus. By David Diaz. 34pp Harcourt Brace. 1994.

ISBN 0-15-269954-6 Age 8 and up.

Smoky Night by Eve Bunting is a book based on the Los Angeles riots. It is told by a little boy home alone with his mother and his cat. His mother tries to explain why people riot and she tries to protect her son from what is going on outside. During the night someone sets their apartment on fire and they have to evacuate. Everyone leaves the building safely, but they cannot find the little boy’s cat. He is upset when they go to the shelter. He is afraid he will never see his cat again. He is thankful and relieved when a fire fighter walks into the shelter carrying his cat and the cat belonging to Mrs. Kim, his neighbor.

There is a lesson to be learned from the cats. Mama was amazed to see the cats together . "I thought those two didn’t like each other."

The boy replies, "They probably didn’t know each other before. Now they do." Everyone becomes silent as that thought sinks in. Mama decides to invite Mrs. Kim over to her house, even though they have never socialized before. Mama had never shopped at Mrs. Kim’s market because she said it was better that they bought from their own people.

The book is rich in descriptive language to describe what it must be like to live in the midst of rioting. The pictures add very much to the descriptions. They are beautifully done in acrylics. The book is a culturally specific multi-cultural book describing what it is like to be in a riot and some of the reasons for the rioting. This is book that could be frightening to a child, just as seeing the riots on the television could be frightening. It should be read by an adult and explained by an adult. It is a part of our society, so I do think it has a valid message to convey.

Reviewed by Joanne Olsen