As I write this review, the winter solstice is only a few weeks away. It is dark in the mornings when I wake up. It is dark once again by dinner. And it is these times that we often lament in our world—particularly if our jobs require that we be inside for what is literally all of daytime. This is a time when the darkness affects us so much that doctors have a name for it—SAD or seasonal affective disorder. It is amid the darkness that we learn to crave the light. 

 

Kate Allen Fox and Elisa Paganelli take that literal reality and infuse it with spiritual, relational, and earthy meaning in Winter Solstice Wish. Inspired by the beach bonfires that take place on the winter solstice near Fox’s San Diego hometown, her story manages to be both bigger and more personal than a local tradition. Winter Solstice Wish is a reminder that, amid darkness, light can grow again. 

 

Combined with Paganelli’s vibrant illustrations, the story moves us to consider how we come together to create and join in the light. When the bonfires are lit and the community gathers around the glow and warmth of the fire, we are reminded of the togetherness it brings. Winter Solstice Wish then moves us beyond the California beaches to celebrations of the solstice the world over—including a reminder of how on the other side of the world a summer solstice of light is being celebrated. 

 

Picture books are usually considered “children’s” books and it’s true that this book was meant for children, but really this book is poetry. It is a psalm of the ebb and flow of existence, a hymn of human connection, a prayer for renewal. Layered and thoughtful, Winter Solstice Wish will have you contemplating what the long nights can teach us.