Smoky Night By: Eve Bunting Illustrated by: David Diaz

Smoky Night is a childrens picture book written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by David
Diaz. This book falls under the genre of contemporary realistic fiction. I believe that this book fits
perfectly under this category because it is a story of a boy and his mother who are witnessing
the riots in their city which were based off the Los Angeles riots of 1992. All of the characters in
this book are realistic people who deal with real-life situations. None of the characters posses
unrealistic features such as superhuman abilities and their story is told from a realistic
viewpoint. This book also falls under the theme of social reality which is one of the major
themes represented within the genre of contemporary realistic fiction.
The age level for this book is listed at ages 5 and up but I believe that due to the subject
matter of the book it should be for ages 8 and up. The book deals with sensitive and
sophisticated topics such as race issues and rioting. I believe the book would be fitting to read
to children that live in a city where things like rioting are taking place because it could help them
to see that good things can arise from bad situations. Also, that sometimes people who are
unalike are able to come together and put their differences aside in order to help each other
through difficult circumstances.
In the book there are a few prominent literary devices that stood out to me. One of those
devices was the use of similes, an example in the book was; Smoke drifts, light as fog.
Another literary device that I saw was the use of amplification, which is when the writer adds
more information to the sentence to enhance its worth. In one part of the story the author tells
us that the rioters smashed everything. But then went on and gave examples of things that were
being smashed to increase our understanding. I also believe that in the case of this book and all
contemporary realistic fiction books, the setting is a prominent literary device that shapes the
entire story. The story wouldn't have the same emotion and impact if we didn't know that it was
taking place in a city the was being rioted and looted.
Finally, Smoky Night won the 1995 Caldecott Medal because of David Diazs amazing
illustrations. His illustrations are done with the use of bold acrylic paint and photo-collage. The
reader gets a real feel for what the characters in this book are experiencing by turning the pages
on this book. One thing to note is that the illustrations don't show a real contrast in two
presumably different ethnic characters, whom are one of the driving forces for coming together
and settling differences in the story. Smoky Night is also listed as An American Library
Association notable childrens book, A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, as well as
A Parents Choice Award Winner.