There Was a Shadow
by Bruce Handy; illus. by Lisk Feng
Primary    Enchanted Lion    56 pp.
5/24    9781592704064    $18.95

Handy and Feng explore and celebrate the juxtaposition of light and shadow from sunrise to sunset. With daybreak brings the opening lines: “There was a shadow. It was a new shadow, but also the last hint of night. It was a morning shadow.” Throughout the day come hill shadows, noontime shadows, bug shadows, indoor shadows, and shadows “cast by moonlight,” even the shadows of emotions across a face: worry, happiness, and sadness. Light brings “the play of light on water” and “the play of light on a face” (light does a lot of playing). The night sky would be all blackness if not punctuated by the varied lights of celestial bodies. The repetition of the phrase “there was a shadow” sometimes feels intrusive, but overall the poetic language beautifully complements Feng’s gorgeous digitally rendered illustrations. There’s a story in those illustrations: a child freely roams fields and hills, hangs out with friends under a tree, and returns home for supper to a kitchen infused with white light juxtaposed with “a warm shadow, a comforting shadow” (though two adult shadows are depicted). A final line—“Or were they dreams?”—offers much to contemplate.

From the July/August 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.