There Was a Shadow

by Bruce Handy, Lisk Feng (Illustrator)

From New York Times Best Children’s Book author Bruce Handy, a luminous picture book that invites careful observation of light and shadow in the natural world, as well as in our own emotional landscape . As the sun makes its daily journey across the sky, light comes down to illuminate our world. Moving and dancing along with this light come a variety of shadows—those cast by the sun and those cast by our feelings, minds, and memories. Here we follow a girl from dawn through dusk into night as she and her friends play with their shadows, take refuge in the shade of a large tree, and set out again for home in the violet glow of twilight. With a lyrical text from Bruce Handy and dramatic, sensitive art from award-winning illustrator Lisk Feng, There Was a Shadow invites readers to look up and down, in and out––to notice the position of the sun and the corresponding length or shortness of shadows, as well as the subtle ways in which light and shadow reveal and obscure things both in the world and in ourselves. With images that swell and overflow with light, this is a picture book that is sure to awe and delight.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nature, Science, Juvenile, Poetry, Storytime

52 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2024

About the author

Bruce Handy is currently a contributing editor of Vanity Fair. A former writer and editor at Spy and Time, his articles, essays, reviews, and humor pieces have appeared in such publications as The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, New York magazine, Rolling Stone, Vogue,

A native of California and a graduate of Stanford University, Handy lives in Manhattan with his wife, novelist Helen Schulman, and their two children. Wild Things is his first book.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as heavy/serious as the blurb implies, but, yes, about the science of shadows as the day progresses, and also the shadows of anxiety, memories, & other feelings. Some readers will love the art. Some will love the somewhat poetic text. I do recommend that, if your library has it, you check it out for yourself - my rating only three stars very much only my own opinion.

[Gael Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closer to a 5 than a 3! So beautiful.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a shadow
Immense as a rocky hill
Tiny as a bug

[Jaksen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omgoodness, what a wonderful book. A series of gorgeous pictures showing different kinds of shadows as the sun moves past...

Morning shadows, sort of longish, then growing shorter and shorter.

Noontime shadows, small but there.

Late afternoon shadows, lengthening almost as you watch them.

Twilight shadows and suddenly, sometimes, moonlight shadows.

The artwork, glorious! The situations and backdrops - constantly changing. The only sad thing about this book is that I no longer have young children to read it to - they've all 'growed' up!

So, read it to myself.

Five stars!

[hallie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book, but other than the art (+1 star for that), this just didn't resonate with me at all. I didn't really get the point of it. I don't really see this being that entertaining to kids, or informational. Definitely didn't "inspire much delight". Sorry.

Also, the ink smell in the book is STRONG. And gross. Kind of musty? Definitely not including that in my rating since that has nothing to do with the author and illustrator, but just in case anyone is sensitive to strong smells, I wanted to mention it.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shadows from different people, animals, plants, and landforms are depicted at different times of day.

A girl plays outside in a rural area and experiences the changing shadows cast by the people, wildlife, vegetation, structures, and natural objects in the landscape throughout the day.

This picture book introduces young readers to shadows and the concept of light and shadows.

The text uses the repetitive phrase "There was a shadow ..." or "There were shadows ..." , which allows readers to anticipate what will happen next and to participate in the story.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shadows follow us from dawn to dusk, indoors and out, from first light to nightlight and into our dreams, though I wonder how appealing this philosophical elucidation of light’s absence would be for the typical picture-book audience. Evocative illustrations dramatize the many moods of shadows and their dances with darkness.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations. I'm not totally sure how this would work for kids. I liked that there are different kinds of shadows and they're given names, I just don't know how much emotional shadows and "play of light" would go down for kids.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the gentle, poetic nature of the story in this book - one that encourages readers to think carefully about shadows. However, the illustrations were busy at times and didn't always complement the text.

[Melanie H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young child steps outside and notices shadows all around them. Throughout the day different shadows come and go, including the emotional shadow of worry.

A beautiful book, but esoteric and not recommended for storytime.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw a list of The New York Times Best Children’s Books of 2024 and thought that would make a fun little reading challenge. Hmmm, not so much.

I liked this for the most part. The illustrations are good. The text is interesting. Just didn’t quite win me over to the ‘loved it’ camp.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the story. Loved the illustrations.

[Laura Mack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could have finished this picture book but it emits a strong gasoline-like smell.
I'll give it another go after it finishes off-gassing. Weird!

[Carlos · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the shadows cast by light and thought. Enjoyable art style and illustrations. For older readers.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are more stars. It would be an exhausting read-aloud because of the repetitive use of the word "shadow." The pages where it was left out were refreshing.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poetic timeline of a shadow's day. Gorgeous artwork.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gently, artful story that traces the sun's movement through the sky by the shadows it casts. The lush illustrations really set this apart.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful! I liked the illustrations better than the text.

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures, but the story is going to appeal to older readers and adults more than young children, I think.

[Holly Wagner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shadows are almost like magic for children. This one just didn’t spark that magic for me.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A child steps outside of a house in the country and observes the morning shadows. They notice how shadows get longer as they go through the day with a dog and friends, and that some are large, while others are small. The phrase repeats, “There was a shadow” as they continue to make concrete observations around them – shadows that are small, tall, new, late – as well as noticing how the shadows make them feel – friendly, like a dance, happy, sad. The child returns home to a cozy kitchen after a day of play. The story ends with a question: were the feelings memories or dreams?

The full bleed spreads are artful and lovely on the large pages, while the simple, repetitive text reads like a poem. The book may prompt young readers to notice shadows for the first time, especially the dramatic ones as the day elapses. Families will want to savor the pages and think about finding shadows of their own.

Associating shadows with emotions will be tricky for younger children. Older readers will appreciate the meditative aspect of this artful book.

[Dale Barlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

(E) 072124: featured in Sunday NY Times article "Picture Books That See Shadows in a New Light"...; 08.13.2024: chronicling the sun’s journey from daybreak to darkness and how shadows change; a rather fascinating journey that I never really thought about; the art work travels from dimness to brightness to darkness…this was a surprising success to read and enjoy; 2024 hardcover via Madison County Public Library, Richmond, 52 pgs.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical and poetic, this picture book gets into the metaphysical and spiritual meaning of shadows, as well as how shadows fill our days. The tone is quiet and contemplative, with absolutely stunning illustrations -- a total Caldecott contender in my book.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I still presented preschool programs, this would be a go-to book for storytimes.