Special Moments: Under the Night Sky by Amy Lundebrek

Hello everyone!  Welcome back to another post here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.  If you are a new visitor....welcome!  Kick back and stay awhile!  If you are a returning member, well you know the fun we have in store, but feel free to spread the joy around.

I was honestly trying to wait to review this one until winter or at least the Christmas holidays, but it's just been calling to me....~~~you read me a while ago now....you need to review meeeeee....if not I will keep calling to you in this voice......ooohhhhhoooohhhh~~~  Did you hear something?  Uh, me neither...anywho....today's pick is one for readers of all ages.  It shares the magic of....oh, wait....let me instroduce the book before I get into that.  Today's book of choice is....

Under the Night Sky
by
Amy Lundebrek

This is the story that rings true in so many households today.  A single mother working off hours to support her child.  A community filled with hustle and bustle, so focus on their own individual lives as they try to survive the unending rat race that they miss out on the simple pleasures that surround them....almost.  You see with lives as filled as these, time schedules and routines are a must.  One night, a young boy's mother breaks away from that routine to experience the beauty and majesty of the aurora borealis with him....in turn creating a memory that will last a lifetime.

Coming from a single parent home, I definitely identify with the child at the center of this story.  Mom always did her best, but without the fine-tuned routine, chaosis was soon to follow.  There were days she would start really early and have to drop me off at school that much earlier just to make it in time, and then there were weekends where I would go with her while she worked her remaining hours (that free time allowed for Casey Casem Top 40 listening and...reading, of course!).  Single parents as frowned upon by some, but I'd say that they are some of the most valiant and love filled individuals in this world.  They take the issues normally faced by two parents and handle them as one, driven by their love of their children. 

Memorable moments can be hard to create in such a dwelling, but come they do at the least expected times.  The mother in this story chooses to take a few minutes from their otherwise scheduled day to make one of these moments come to pass.  Mother Naure provides the exhibit, while she and the neighborhood, provide the audience.  It really presents a feeling of community spirit when everyone regardless of race, status, or age comes together to watch the light show in silent awe.

Marketed as a children's picture book, the illustrations by Anna Rich are reminiscent of the charcoal drawings one might have made in high school, only with more detail of course. The colors used to complete the effect seem to be drawn from the northern lights themselves.  It's as if they took a sampling of the magnificent lights and somehow convinced them to stay on the pages of the book to be shared with readers around the globe.  Truly amazing...

Review copy received courtesy of Sarah at Tilbury House. (THANKS!) To view their available titles, check out their website or follow them on Twitter.

Until next time....happy reading!