Before Morning

by Joyce Sidman, Beth Krommes (Illustrator)

There are planes to fly and buses to catch, but a child uses the power of words, in the form of an invocation, to persuade fate to bring her family a snow day — a day slow and unhurried enough to spend at home together. In a spare text that reads as pure song and illustrations of astonishingly beautiful scratchboard art, Sidman and Krommes remind us that sometimes, if spoken from the heart, wishes really can come true.   

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Childrens, Family, Fiction, Nature, Art

42 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2015

About the author

The Newbery Honor winner Joyce Sidman is today's foremost nature poet for children. Accolades for her books include two Caldecott Honors, a Lee Bennet Hopkins Award, winner of the Claudia Lews Award, and many stars and best of lists. For her award-winning body of work, she won the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. She lives in Wayzata, Minnesota. Visit www.joycesidman.com

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Newbery Honor-winning children's poet Joyce Sidman and Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Beth Krommes team up in this beautiful picture-book celebration of snow days, and the peaceful joy they bring. With a simple, poetic text, Sidman unfolds the desire of her young heroine for a world made new, covered in the transformative white beauty of snow. In her scratchboard and watercolor art, Krommes captures the enchantment that snow creates, and the family fun that results when the world is covered in icy white...

Although quite brief - there are pages here with no text at all, and others that contain just a phrase - the narrative here is immensely evocative, intended (so the author tells us, in her brief afterword) as an invocation, a tribute to the power of words, and of wishing. As always, Krommes' artwork is absolutely gorgeous, reminding me of some of the old-fashioned etchings that I have so enjoyed in various vintage books in my collection. The details are really quite lovely, creating a rich visual feast for the reader. Recommended to Sidman and Krommes fans, and to anyone looking for picture-books about snow days, or the longing for them.

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: BEFORE MORNING by Joyce Sidman and Beth Krommes, ill., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 2016, 48p., ISBN: 978-0-547-97917-5

“Let the air turn to feathers,
the earth turn to sugar,
and all that is heavy turn light.
Let quick things be swaddled,
let urgent plans founder,
let pathways be hidden from sight.”

As usual, I’d brought along a backpack full of newly-arrived picture books to share with my three-and-a-half year-old grandson, who has recently become a big brother. As he and I sat together on the couch, me reading him one book after another, his mother and great-grandmother periodically walked through the room, as they tidied up the house and cared for the newborn twins upstairs.

But I’d only gotten a couple of pages into reading aloud the poetic text of BEFORE MORNING before I suddenly found myself as the filling of a four-generation sandwich. And, as I continued to turn the pages, there was repeated ooh-ing and ahh-ing as they peered over my shoulders, pointing and commenting on Beth Krommes’s magical scratchboard illustrations of a snowy night and a busy world grinding to a halt.

I’m not surprised. I have long been a fan of Krommes’s unique style. Recently, having learned that Hillary Clinton would be stopping by our local headquarters for a surprise visit, I took advantage of the opportunity by presenting her a signed copy of Krommes’s Caldecott Medal-winning THE HOUSE IN THE NIGHT to share with her grandkids.

BEFORE MORNING is a similarly distinguished, melodic, and satisfying picture book.

In BEFORE MORNING, a young girl’s mother is an airline pilot who is scheduled to go off to work before morning. In the wordless introduction to the story, the child displays resistance to the inevitable departure. Joyce Sidman’s poem then expresses the child’s wish for a snow day.

Sure enough, an ensuing blizzard grounds the flights, and the mother catches a ride back home from the airport with a snow plow operator. With the sun up, and the world a fairyland, the parents, the child, and the family dog all head off with their toboggan for the local sledding hill.

Written in the form of an invocation, this glorious tale of a snowy wish-come-true evokes childhood memories of untouched, newly-fallen snow; red freezing hands; running noses, and those little clumps of ice that accumulate along the edges of one’s winter coat sleeves after building snowmen and repeatedly falling off of sleds.

But this is a book for today. The other parent in the story is an equal partner who prepares the meals and cares for the child while the mother goes off to work. We also see a biography of Amelia Earhart on the child’s bedside table, a timely little reminder that girls can, indeed, do anything boys can do.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I must not have paid attention when I first added it this year, or else I was just taken in by the cover which made it seem really magical. But then when I checked the book out at the library, and I read "sparse text" and scratch-board art, I was worried. As soon as I opened the book it was a problem. I was not a fan of either the writing or the artwork.

Sparse writing indeed, because 22 pages had no text on them. Out of the two pages you were looking at, only one had text, and then it wasn't even a full sentence. It was a fragment of a sentence, a handful of words, sometimes only 2. Four times there were double empty pages, meaning as you have the book open both pages that you're looking at have no text. That drives me insane and I can't stand having to do the writing myself and put together what I think is happening. Just tell me what's happening and don't make me come up with the story myself.

The writing is the worst style for me. I hate sparse writing with a sentence dragged out for pages and pages. The entire book has 4 sentences! One page said "and delightful" and another said "and white" and I was like are you kidding me? I can't stand writing like this. Readers deserve a full story.

It's way too deep and advanced for children. This is a way that only adults think like, not kids.

"In the deep woolen dark, as we slumber unknowing, let the sky fill with flurry and flight. Let the air turn to feathers, the earth turn to sugar, and all that is heavy turn light. Let quick things be swaddled, let urgent plans flounder, let pathways be hidden from sight. Please--just this once--change the world before morning: make it slow and delightful...and white."
That's it.

It's too out-there for kids to grasp. "Woolen dark" isn't an idea a kid would have. Nor is the sky filling with "flurry and flight." Or the air turning to feathers and the earth to sugar. "Quick things" are in reference to dogs and people, which was the deepest thought featured in here. I think it would be really hard for kids to grasp.

I did sort of like the page with all of the different statues in the park, that said make all that's heavy light. There was the Thinking Man statue, and the one with the man about to throw the discus, and a knight on horseback, and an angel, all covered in snow.

The story starts with 4 pages of illustrations only. I had to scan all the images to piece together what was happening. A little girl was looking in a bakery window, but her mom pulled her home. The girl was sad as she looked at her mom's cap. Her mom was dressed like a flight attendant and there was an Amelia Earhart book in the girl's room. The mom left in the night, and the wish, though it was stated a lot grander and philosophically, was for snow. The airport was snowed in and the mom got a ride back home and surprised the daughter. They ate and then went sledding, then stopped at the bakery and got cupcakes...Not really the snow day I can relate to, but I guess it is for some people.

The illustrations were not to my liking at all. I didn't know what this type was called, but now I have a name for my least favorite artwork: scratch-board. I can't stand those crisscrossed lines all throughout the page. It's such an old style of artwork to me. It detracts from the images. The colors are so gloomy, mostly gray, black, and brown. It captured none of the feel of a snow day. It brought to mind more of a dreary day in the fall, not winter at all. Because the pages showed trees with some orange leaves still on them and some falling! It looked like the fall.

The 2 dogs were cute wrapped up in their hooded jackets. The snowflakes were pretty; there were all different shapes and designs and they had blue on them. The page that had the most impact was the one that mentioned the world being changed before morning, with the entire landscape of the city spread out over the pages, everything covered in snow. My favorite was the 2 pages with the snow-covered hill and all of the different sledders. That was the one that captured a snow day because it was mostly white. There were all kinds of sleds, round ones of different colors, wooden ones, plastic ones, and all kind of people. I wish the whole book had had this feel.

The end had a note "On Wishes and Invocations." It was deep for me, too much for kids. It asked how powerful are words, can they make things happen, stop things from happening, can they protect, comfort, and enhance us? I've never heard of a book being an invocation, a poem that asks for help or support or for something to happen. It encouraged readers to wish for something and find the best way to say it and speak it aloud, so maybe it will come true. That was a good lesson for kids, to put their dreams out there and treat them seriously, so that at least was a good message. But the overall idea is too much for the mentality of the age group that reads picture books.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Morning This is a lovely book, a beautiful, poetic glimpse at winter, family togetherness, and also at the power of "invocations" to bring about a desired change. The scratchboard and watercolor artwork really brings to mind both the warmth and the cold/sparseness of winter. I've really enjoyed some of Sidman's other works (Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors, Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors) as well as her previous collaboration with Krommes, Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before Morning is one of my absolutely favorite reads this year and I hope it wins an award. The book is absolutely beautiful. Beth Krommes and her scratchboard art are favorites of mine. I always have to get my hands on anything she illustrates. This particular story uses a minimum of words to share the heartfelt wish of a young girl whose mother is setting off for work as an airline employee. The girl, through a simply yet profoundly worded invocation, wishes for snow to keep her mother home. The book truly highlights the power of a young girl's wish and the soft beauty of a snow storm. Just looking at the different snowflakes scattered through the pages was enjoyable.

[Agnė · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gorgeously illustrated ode to snow days:

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tender and charming tale has a beautiful way of slowing you down and making you reflect on the wonder of the world around you. It is like a mediative pause in your crazy, busy life.

"Before Morning" focuses on the magic and awe of a snow day. It begins with eight pages of stunning illustrations that portray a mother and child walking home through a bustling city at twilight. As they arrive at their apartment you observe that the table is set ready for dinner, the parents are expressing hugs on their arrival, but as you look closer you notice that the face of the child portrays sadness. Why you ponder? The last page of illustrations shows the mother sitting on her child's bed wishing her goodnight and sweet dreams. The mother is attired in a pilot's uniform and on the child's bed is a copy of the book "Amelia Earhart." It seems that the mother has got to go off to work and not only is she saying goodnight to her child but also goodbye to her little one.

"In the deep wooden dark, as we slumber unknowing, let the sky fill with flurry and flight."

Sidman explains that "Before Morning" is written as an "invocation - a poem that invites something to happen, often using it for help or support." As the book progresses and the text flows on, she asks that the "air turn to feathers, the earth turn to sugar," as she asks for snow to fall.

We get a glimpse of city dwellers coping with their blanket of the fluffy white snow, weary, worried travellers sequestered at the airport watching snow heavily float down outside the windows as Sidman asks to let "urgent plans flounder," and let "pathways be hidden from sight."

As the story proceeds we realize that the child's prayer is wishing for the mother's return and to have that wish granted. "Please - just this once- change the world before morning make it slow and delightful... and white." Will her wish be granted? Will the ending be like a fairytale... with wishes coming true and living happily ever after - at least for one morning?

This is a more than perfect bedtime story. A snuggle up in a warm cosy bed on a blustery snowy night story, with the promise of when you awaken you will be greeted by a snowy day. This truly would be a gift that you can embrace, gain a pause, and enjoy, not only in your morning but all through your day ... thus putting that busy day on hold until tomorrow.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ordinary cold winter's day, a walk through the park and along the street with mom and the dog, eating dinner as a family with mom and dad, mom reading a bedtime story, then folding the laundry before she leaves for work as an airplane pilot...But maybe, just this once, if it is said just the right way and using just the right words, a wished for snowstorm might just bring mom back home. Written in rhyme, Sidman employed the literary device of invocation for expressing the young girl's wish for snow and her mom's return: "Let the air turn to feathers/the earth turn to sugar/and all that is heavy/be light." What is invocation? Sidman includes a note On Wishes and Invocations. How powerful are words? she asks, and what would you wish for? I loved that it is the mom who is the pilot, and the dad who stays home with their daughter. Beth Krommes watercolor illustrations done on scratchboard in a palette of wintery browns, golds, and blues with touches of other color (like winter itself). Using the scratchboard technique really gives each illustration so much depth and texture. This is a charming story where the art and the rhyme really come together so beautifully in this heartwarming family story.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: In the deep woolen dark, as we slumber unknowing, let the sky fill with flurry and flight.

Premise/plot: Before Morning is not a picture book; it is a poetic 'invocation.' A young child longing for a snow day, a family snow day--and putting all that longing into words. The text is spare--for better or worse. The illustrations tell the story. It is almost as if the text and illustrations switched jobs. The text give some shape to the story, and, they are certainly lovely, in their own way. But if for whatever reason you don't grasp the story through the illustrations, then, it can be a confusing read. (You might have to read the illustrations carefully and slowly a few times to follow the characters.) The text leans more toward the abstract than STORY.

My thoughts: Personally, Before Morning isn't my kind of book. For poetry lovers, yes, this one might work well. Or for art lovers. The illustrations are incredibly rich in detail, and, they are distinct. (The kind of art that says, PUT AN AWARD STICKER ON ME, PLEASE.) But in terms of story, it didn't wow me.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet book about wanting the world to slow down when it snows. Might be a good book to try for storytime.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I'm not sure about this. I'm thinking about the title, and thinking that what's going on is that Mom is dropping off the little girl with grandpa, something like that.

The fact that I can't tell who's who only increases my dissatisfaction with the pictures. And in the first place, I just don't care for this medium. Especially here, as it's so gray & biege.

Ok, the poem, the invocation, is beautiful. But look at this way: goodness there are a lot of people who are having their plans messed up because of the selfish little girl.

I guess I would have illustrated the poem entirely differently. I would at least localize the setting and characters, to make it resonate more deeply, instead of trying for universality.

I do like Sidman's science book's better.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a dive, deep down into Beth Krommes' stunning illustrations to follow the characters throughout this lovely story. Every page, with or without text, provides the narrative, starting and ending with the endpapers. We are given multiple views of clocks throughout the story to help us understand the passage of time. It lingers in your mind beyond the closing, calling you back to savor it again.
Update: 5 years later I still love this beautiful lyrical book.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous scratchboard and watercolor illustrations and a sparse lyrical text tell the evocative story of a child wishing for a family snow day. My favorite line "Let the air turn to feathers, the earth turn to sugar, and all that is heavy turn light." This is a powerfully haunting picture book that captures a child's deep longing for her mother, an airplane pilot, to not leave. With minimum words and plentiful visual detail like the child hiding her mother's hat or pausing in front of the bakery, this is an enchanting masterpiece of heartfelt wishes and love.

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stunning artwork, but difficult to follow this story and the limited and poetic text does little to help. After three reads I believe I understand it. This is really a book of artwork from the famous illustrator.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely verse and stunning illustrations.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly gave this book 5 stars for the stunning illustrations! They are absolutely gorgeous. But I also loved the beautiful text written as an invocation poem offered by a child hoping for snow and a day with her mother. The text and the illustrations both work together to tell this memorable, simple story.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The text is simple but demonstrates the power of hoping, wishing and words. A young girl wishes for more time with her family, a slower pace. That wish is granted as a snow storm settles over their town and cancels flights. The illustrations are really, really lovely!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohhhhh, this book is so lovely. I found myself blinking away happy tears at the end. The illustrations and the quiet, hopeful text match up perfectly. I can't wait until my kiddo is old enough to share this with him at bedtime.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book. The illustrations are amazing. The story is very simple. At first the reader thinks it’s a wordless picture book, but its a few pages in before the words appear. However this book is so well illustrated that the words are not needed. They are almost a hindrance. They are nice, but this book could have remained wordless.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is lovely! I love the illustrations, I love the non-annoying rhyme scheme, the fantasy elements, the story-within-a-story when you realize what a snow day means for this family, and the author's note about what an invocation is and does. Great book!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful invocation with lovely description of invocations at the end. Illustrations you want to sink your teeth into.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

So beautiful! Let it be winter already!

[Blanco Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

4-5 stars for the artwork which is beautiful and has so many tiny details to discover on every page.
1 star for the writing.

Nearly a wordless book.

[Kaylynnreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, calming book

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that kids will need to pay extra special attention to the pictures and the words to realize what is happening. Kids will enjoy this one before a snowstorm. I liked the note at the end explaining the style.

[Alice Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captures the sheer delight of that surprise snow that cancels everything in the world and allows you and your family to just be tucked away, moving slowly together. For lovers of SNOW days!

[Teacher Librarian Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is it you wish for? It might just come true.

[Carrie Charley Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to be mesmerized by the environment and how weather changes it, yet keep the warmth of family at heart? This books has it all!

[Virginia McGee Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only am I making sure November does not end without my taking note of picture book month, I am invoking my oldest child personality and telling you how to read my newest treasure in this genre.

Having fallen in love with the author/illustrator team of Joyce Sidman and Beth Krommes in Swirl by Swirl, I didn’t even need to see the great reviews to know I had to have their newest book, Before Morning. I bought it for myself, but as you can see, I’m willing to share.

The illustrations by themselves tell a story. The poem, that Joyce calls an invocation in her author’s note, also has meaning when taken alone. I can only think to describe what happens to the combination in terms of a Reese’s peanut butter cup. The peanut butter layer is tasty, the chocolate layer is luscious, but the combination is exquisite. That’s where my advice comes in.

I recommend a first read of the illustrations with close attention to the longing of the child for the mom to stay home. (The child could be boy or girl by the way the paintings are done. I took it to be a girl because I relate to that, but I think a boy reader might do the opposite.) The painting of the girl hiding the pilot’s hat and the opened Amelia Earhart biography gives a clue about her mother’s job and why she might be leaving as night falls. Follow the visual clues for emotions of the characters from the beginning to the end. The second time through add the story invocation. Exquisite!

Feel free to do as my sisters often did and ignore my suggestion, but you can see that I tried it out with stellar results.

It’s no wonder that Before Morning made the Kirkus List of Best Picture Books of 2016. It made mine, too. The cover lists Joyce Sidman as a former Newbery Honor winner and Beth Krommes as a former Caldecott medalist. I’m predicting that Before Morning will join their other books on awards shelves as the 2016 honors begin to come in.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Days are busy, filled with activity. One child whose parent is heading off to pilot a plane in the early morning put her wishes into words in the form on an invocation. She asks for snow to come, to change the face of the city and the pace of their life. She wishes for a slowness and as the book continues readers will see the snow start to fall, the parent leave for the airport, then the airport start to fill with waiting passengers who are not going anywhere. Then the parent catches a snowplow ride back home where the family spends a day together in the snow sledding.

Sidman’s invocation is simple and heartfelt. She voices it with the clarity of a ringing bell and real honesty. She plays her quiet voice against the hustle and busyness of an urban setting, allowing the snow and the wonder of it to slow the entire book down to the pace of the invocation itself. It’s a beautiful effect, strengthened by the illustrations and the beauty of the words themselves.

I was thrilled to see another pairing of Sidman and Krommes. Krommes creates scratchboard illustrations that have the organic feel of block prints. They are rich with details and fill the pages with subtle colors and dancing snow. The art has an inherent warmth to it, inviting snuggling under covers together.

Another great achievement for this author and illustrator pair, this is a great winter story that focuses on family and time spent together. Appropriate for ages 3-5.