ONE LIGHT

A lonely child shines a light in the darkness.

Mouse feels alone on this chilly, stormy evening. When a power outage plunges the town into darkness, Mouse decides to light a lantern she made at school and set it on her front stoop. An adult, apparently Mouse’s mother, helps her with the candle. The blustery winds blow out the flame, though the lantern itself doesn’t topple; persistent Mouse relights the candle and goes inside. As the storm rages, passersby notice the lantern and are heartened by its light. Young Sam, walking his schnauzer and “worrying about a hundred small things,” smiles at it; Harriet, who’s cycling by in a hurry, is similarly inspired. One by one, they return home to kindle lights of their own. Throughout, Allepuz employs multimedia illustrations in a style reminiscent of G. Brian Karas, with an inviting, soft visual texture. Even greater play with contrasts between cool darkness and warm light might have enhanced the visual storytelling; as it is, the light feels a bit subdued. With guidance from adults, though, young people will come to understand and appreciate the book’s gentle metaphor. Mouse and her parent are light-skinned with dark hair, Sam has skin the color of the background of the page, and Harriet appears to be brown-skinned.

Warmly reassuring.