Once Upon a Northern Night by Jean Pendziwol… A Wintery Children's Book Review

There is something so beautiful in Once Upon a Northern Night written by Jean E. Pendziwol and illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. A children's book celebrating the wonder of a snow laden winter evening…

                           Once upon a northern night,
                           while you lay sleeping,
                           wrapped in a downy blanket,
                           I painted you a picture.

Like a gentle lullaby soothing us to sleep, the words and beautiful simple illustrations sweep us out into the night to witness the quiet goings on of the natural world around us, beyond a sleeping boy's window. The one snowflake that became two, that soon becomes a snowy blanket for the earth, the snowshoe hares that frolic playing hide and seek with a fox, a mother deer and her fawn nibbling the frozen apples on a tree, and other silent visitors that peek out from their daytime hideaways to enjoy the winter wonderland.

Beautiful prose that carries you softly from beginning to end and beautiful illustrations in muted colors reminiscent of the season create a perfect bedtime story for a snowy winter night. I loved Once Upon a Northern Night!  Published by Groundwood Books.