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Search - The Night Rainbow

The Night Rainbow
Author: Barbara Juster Esbensen

Since ancient times the northern lights -- those celestial displays also known as the aurora borealis -- have astounded all who have witnessed their dazzling formations. The peoples of the far north even spun legends about them -- imagining animals, ghosts, dancers, and raging battles in their shimmering illuminations. Barbara Esbensen too was... more » fascinated by the astonishing shapes and colors of the magical lights. What finally triggered her resolve to write about them? She dedicated this book to "my son, Kai, who brought me to the old farm road one cold midnight to see the aurora flaring against the dark sky." Barbara graduated as an art major from the University of Wisconsin. So it is not surprising that images were at the heart of whatever she wrote. She was an observer of everything around her -- from the tiniest flower or pebble or insect to the magnificent aurora borealis, opening and closing its glorious curtains in the sky. Because she had the gift of words, she was able to write what she saw, using as always her unusual images -- chipped stars, a sky white with beating wings, the breath of ghostly horses sifting through the dark, a whirling walrus head tumbling back and forth across the crackling plains of a blazing sky. The illustrator, Helen Davie, had this to say about her work in depicting what ancient peoples were watching and interpreting according to the legends of their times: "I've been fortunate to have illustrated other books by Barbara. For me, her writing has always emphasized the magic in the everyday things that most of us tend to take for granted. In this case the aurora is already quite magical. Even though today we know scientifically how the lights are made, they can still excite the imagination. I knew the key was to keep the magic going from page to page. I think what heightens the brightness of the aurora is the contrast of the lights against the dark night skies. I painted the background skies in watercolor and gouache (opaque watercolor) washes. Then I added the other details - the people, houses, animals, etc. - also in watercolor and gouache. To create the northern lights, I powdered pastels by rubbing them on a sheet of sandpaper and then used a brush to apply the powder to the paper. On some pages I also applied pastel directly to the page and rubbed it in with my fingers. I had not used pastel so extensively in my artwork bef!ore. It was great fun trying something new, but at the same time I was really nervous, hoping each page would turn out all right." Barbara closed her author's note for The Night Rainbow with this comment: "I hope that if you have ever been lucky enough to stand in wonder yourself, under those veils and curtains and sweeping arcs of pulsating colored light, you will read my words and say, 'Yes! That's how it was!'"

ISBN-13: 9780531302446
ISBN-10: 053130244X
Publication Date: 3/1/2000
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Rating:

0 stars, based on 0 rating

Publisher: Scholastic
Book Type: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

Genres:

Children's Books >> Literature & Fiction >> Poetry >> General

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