Aurora: A Tale of the Northern Lights
Kindergarten-Grade 2?This picture book is satisfying in many way. It offers a fanciful explanation for the origin of the aurora borealis and whimsical, colorful illustrations. "In a long ago northern land" of perpetual sunshine, Aurora goes in search of a place of darkness described to her by her grandmother. The girl follows a lone caribou there but as she travels, she pockets the colors of the sunshine from the pink glow of early dawn to the midday light of silver blue to the luminous green of twilight. When she reaches the total darkness, she flings the saved lights into the sky, thus enabling her family to follow the dancing curtain of color and find her. The illustrations are lovely, and the story line, while predictable, is effective. Aurora's ethnicity is not clearly defined, although she is clad in a wildly wonderful kuspuk, or summer parka, which resembles Alaskan Inupiat dress. The arrangement of the text and artwork varies and is a bit jarring at times due to inconsistencies in placement. Occasionally, the text is printed over an illustration making it difficult to read. Overall, a worthy addition to most collections.?Mollie Bynum, formerly at Chester Valley Elementary School, Anchorage, AKCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.