Under Alaska's Midnight Sun

In the far northern parts of the world, near and above the Arctic Circle, summer days are very long. In Barrow, Alaska, for example, the sun rises in May and sets 83 days later, in early August. During this time, the sun shines all through the night. People call it the midnight sun. When the midnight sun is shining, people and animals stay active even at night. This sweet poetic narrative, illustrated by award-winner Jeremiah Trammell, showcases the many pleasures of this unique time as a little girl dances, fishes, plays games, watches moose and fox, and communes with family and nature.

On the longest day of the year, a young Alaskan girl stays up late and enjoys the midnight sun.

In the far northern parts of the world, near and above the Arctic Circle, summer days are very long. In Barrow, Alaska, for example, the sun rises in May and sets 83 days later, in early August. During this time, the sun shines all through the night. People call it the midnight sun. When the midnight sun is shining, people and animals stay active even at night. This sweet poetic narrative, illustrated by award-winner Jeremiah Trammell, showcases the many pleasures of this unique time as a little girl dances, fishes, plays games, watches moose and fox, and communes with family and nature.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-On the day of the solstice, a child plays with her baby brother as she waits for midnight to arrive. She shares the day with Alaskan wildlife: salmon leaping in a creek, ducklings waddling alongside a pond, and a moose and its young calf as they meander at the edge of a meadow. After a day of running, dancing, and playing, the young narrator manages to stay up past midnight to celebrate, and finally allows herself to curl up and fall asleep. Vanasse uses occasional rhyme, assonance, and alliteration to give the text a poetic feel, but never subjects readers to too much of a good thing. Some verses read more smoothly than others, but, overall, the text is fresh and vivid. Trammell's joyful, full-page color illustrations are suitably light and airy, capturing the beauty of the northern landscape and the exuberance of the girl. An author's note provides additional details. This is a good wind-down bedtime choice for children who have decided they can't (or won't) sleep.-Carol L. MacKay, Camrose Public Library, Alberta, Canada Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Deb Vanasse is the author of Out of the Wilderness and A Distant Enemy. She lives in Fairbanks, AK. Jeremiah Trammell is also the illustrator of The Giant Cabbage. He lives in Seattle.