What Sound Is Morning?

In this standalone follow-on to What Color Is Night?, a narrator invokes early morning sounds as the world begins to stir. Economical sentences draw attention to noises that are easy to overlook: “Lights click on,/ a cat softly creeps” reads one spread as dawn reddens the sky above houses shrouded in darkness. Snider’s spreads, splashed with brilliant, milky hues on matte paper, have the feel of silkscreen images. As “the silent sun rises,” loose lines pick out trees and soft human silhouettes, taillights on cars and trucks, a cityscape. One page zooms in on a single household (“A shower trickles,/ a mirror squeaks”); another lends appreciation to a garbage truck on a silent block. Throughout, scenes portray beauty in even the most banal examples of a built environment, such as anonymous, office-like buildings whose windows reflect the sky and whose lawn blooms with flowerlike jets: “Sprinklers hiss on summer lawns.” Concluding with an invitation to “throw open the window// and fill the world with your song,” Snider’s creation uncovers everyday wonders by re-creating a single sense with language, form, and color. Ages 2–4. [em]Agent: Judy Hansen, Hansen Literary. (May) [/em]