Smoky Night -- David Diaz

• David Diaz
• Reading level: Ages 4-8
• Paperback: 36 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152018840
• ISBN-13: 978-0152018849

• From Publishers Weekly

  Bunting addresses urban violence in this thought-provoking and visually exciting picture book inspired by the Los Angeles riots. Although they're neighbors, Daniel's cat and Mrs. Kim's cat don't get along. Nor do Daniel and his mother shop at Mrs. Kim's market. "It's better if we buy from our own people," Daniel's mother says. But when Daniel's apartment building goes up in flames, all of the neighbors (including the cats) learn the value of bridging differences. Bunting does not explicitly connect her message about racism with the riots in her story's background, but her work is thoroughly believable and taut, steering clear of the maudlin or didactic. Diaz's dazzling mixed-media collages superimpose bold acrylic illustrations on photographs of carefully arranged backgrounds that feature a wide array of symbolic materials--from scraps of paper and shards of broken glass to spilled rice and plastic dry-cleaner bags. Interestingly, Diaz doesn't strongly differentiate the presumably Asian American Mrs. Kim from the African American characters--even the artwork here cautions the reader against assumptions about race. Ages 5-up.
  Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. 
  Community is so important in today's world, even though the traditional community is getting farther and fewer in between every day. With so many subdivisions forming, the traditional community is harder to find. This book is a good multicultural book to discuss in the classroom, no matter what age group. Knowing the importance of community and family is a very prevalent theme in this book.

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