#blogbookaday: Windows

Summary:  “Walking his dog at dusk, one boy catches glimpses of the lives around him in this lovely ode to autumn evenings, exploring your neighborhood, and coming home.

Before your city goes to sleep, you might head out for a walk, your dog at your side as you go out the door and into the almost-night. Anything can happen on such a walk: you might pass a cat, or a friend, or even an early raccoon. And as you go down your street and around the corner, the windows around you light up one by one until you are walking through a maze of paper lanterns, each one granting you a brief, glowing snapshot of your neighbors as families come together and folks settle in for the night. With a setting that feels both specific and universal and a story full of homages to The Snowy Day, Julia Denos and E. B. Goodale have created a singular book — at once about the idea of home and the magic of curiosity, but also about how a sense of safety and belonging is something to which every child is entitled.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Review: Windows is a beautiful story with gorgeous illustrations filled with colors of the sunset and glowing windows that pair perfectly with Julia Denos’s descriptive and lyrical text. Although E.B. Goodale uses her own city of Somerville, MA as the backdrop to this story, this story could be any neighborhood as every day activities are similar across the globe. A sense of community and belonging lingers as the little boy navigates his way home.
Personal Reaction: I love this quietly, poetic story about a seemingly simple walk through the neighborhood turning into something beautiful. Glancing into windows around the neighborhood shows snippets of everyday life and invokes feelings of warmth, safety and love as the main character finds himself back in front of his own window with his mom in the window waiting for him. I walk my dog at dusk every night and I love seeing neighbors arriving home from work, walking their own dogs, seeing kids playing before dinner and arriving back at home knowing it will be warm, cozy and that my partner is waiting for me inside.

Title: Windows
Author: Julia Denos
Illustrator: E.B. Goodale
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: October 17, 2017

This is a new idea I’m trying on my blog this year that was inspired by @donalynbooks and @heisereads – to provide a brief review of a picture book every day of 2018. You’ll get a brief summary of the story, a review of the content, illustrations and theme, my personal reaction to the book and all the pertinent publication information! Enjoy!