2009 Caldecott winner for illustration. I must admit...with some shame...that I didn't read it until it won, and then my expectations were so high that I was a little underwhelmed. After reading the many glowing professional reviews, I'm applying my most open mind. I did like the quiet simplicity of the text, and the "classic" feel of the whole thing: the cumulative rhyme hearkens back to pieces like "The House That Jack Built"; the scratchboard illustrations are quite folksy (black and white with highlights of yellow); and the bedtime theme and bedroom depictions put me comfortably in mind of one of MY childhood favorites, [b:Goodnight Moon|32929|Goodnight Moon, 60th Anniversary Edition|Margaret Wise Brown|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168407089s/32929.jpg|1086867]. I also don't have an alternative winner that I think was distinctly better (for a similar approach, [b:Ghosts in the House|80521|Four Major Plays A Doll's House, Ghosts, Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder (Oxford World's Classics)|Henrik Johan Ibsen|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170983545s/80521.jpg|3058500]?), so really, I have no leg to stand on.

Call it a fault of the "Caldecott mystique" that nothing can live up to my hopes? ;) This will be a great bedtime book or gift book, but I don't know that kids will ask for it. Still, I give it props for its beauty and for its ability to seem old and new at the same time. Because of that, it will surely last longer than the fad/licensed-character books that kids DO ask for, and that's worthy of award.

Not the most elegant of readaloud books, but very sweet despite that. And of course, so rightfully deserving of the Caldecott--just look at those beautiful pictures! I can't imagine how much time went into preparing those scratchboards...

This is an absolutely delightful book. A quick reminder for kids (aren't we all kids?) that everything has a name and when we give things a name, fear of them is taken away. We are also all part of a larger story which is much more hopeful when we really break it down.

Very nice come scheme and illustrations. I'm not totally in love with the story, but it's still nice and quiet.

Stunning illustrations

I really like the simple scratchboard artwork with the pops of bright yellow for this book. Each page contains a lot of detail to ponder over while reading the limited amount of text on each page. The short story has repetitive, nursery rhyme like patterns that I think young children will appreciate.

The folding rhyme in this is brilliant, the illustrations magical and the nighttime vibe perfect for bedtime reading

The illustrations are incredible, and I love how the poetic structure is based on a traditional nursery rhyme. It seems like many children who are afraid of the dark, or just a little nervous at bedtime, would be soothed by this book.

The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson is about a little kid who enters his house and finds a book in his room. He reads the book about a bird before bedtime. Then the story zooms back out and we see their mother preparing the house for bedtime. I enjoyed this book and thought it was a great example of "zooming in" on details. I would use this book in my classroom to teach detail writing.

Well-written pattern story, love the scratchboard illustrations.