Module Three: Smoky Night by Eve Bunting

Bibliography

Bunting, E. (1994). Smoky Night. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Books.

Summary

Standing in the dark, David and his mother watch fearfully out their apartment window as the people rioting on the streets below smash windows, cars, and streetlights, stealing television sets and shoes – or anything else they can find. David’s mother explains that people riot when they get angry and no longer care about what’s right and wrong. David sees Mrs. Kim, who owns Kim’s Market, yelling at the rioters who are stealing her things, and explains that he and his mother don’t shop at Mrs. Kim’s market because his mother says it’s better to buy from your own people. David and his mother, who are African-American, are later woken up when their apartment building catches fire. Scrambling around in the night for his shoes, he can’t find his beloved cat Jasmine. As the tenants hurriedly escape the building, it becomes evident that they have more in common than previously thought. Mr. and Mrs. Ramirez carry their squawking parrot, Loco, along with their children to safety, while Mrs. Kim nervously questions the whereabouts of her own cat. In the end, David helps the adults understand that sometimes people (and cats) don’t like each other because they don’t know one another well enough. This realization brings hope that, by getting to know each other, the neighborhood can prevent the possibility of future riots.

My Impressions

I loved the message behind Smoky Night. Bunting does an excellent job of making a larger political issue, the riots, seem more personal by narrowing in on one night with David, his mother, and their cat Jasmine. Through their eyes, we see a neighborhood immersed in chaos and fear and the repercussions of this. David's mother's explanation for rioting, because people are angry, is a bit simplistic but completely appropriate for the age level of this book. Children will find it much easier to comprehend such a complex issue in these simpler, more intimate terms. Using Mrs. Kim's cat and Jasmine as an example of how two very different beings can learn to get along is clever and should resonate well with children. The illustrations are vivid and gritty, with deep blues and purples set against photographs of varying textures, and capture both the harsh and loving aspects of this story.

Reviews

School Library Journal
"During a big city riot, an African-American boy and his mother watch fearfully from their window as looters attack Mrs. Kim's grocery. Mama has never shopped there because the Kims are not "our kind." Nevertheless, missing cats pull the two families together, sowing the seeds of acceptance and friendship. Complex collage backgrounds magnify the drama of the story."

Book Links
"When riots break out in the streets of their neighborhood, a young boy and his mother learn the value of getting along with others, regardless of their background or nationality. Diaz helps children connect with the difficult feelings that accompany the riot by using recognizable objects in his collage art. Teachers can use this book, which was inspired by rioting in Los Angeles, to explore anger management, community, and conflict resolution."

 

Library Use

This would be a great book to use during Black History Month or to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It could be used in a display or as a springboard for a discussion about the Civil Rights Movement and/or the Los Angeles Riots. Librarians could discuss in more depth why the rioters were angry and how these issues could have been dealt with better. This discussion would be more appropriate for older elementary school students.

Bock, L. (2003). Smoky night. [Review of the book Smoky Night]. School Library Journal, 49(2), 95.Underwood, M. (2004).

Smoky night. [Review of the book Smoky Night]. Book Links, 13(4), 53.

Image from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/616833.Smoky_Night