EIGHT DAYS

Composed in the wake of the devastating earthquake of January 2010, this inspired child’s-eye view will leave no reader or listener unmoved. Asked whether he was sad or afraid during the eight days he was buried in rubble, a young victim explains how he survived: “In my mind, I played,” with kites and marbles on the first day, games of hide-and-seek on the second, at home or in school or out in the fields on other days—with his friend Oscar who was buried with him but who on the fifth day “…never woke up. That was the day I cried”—and also with his parents and little sister who, thankfully, were there to greet him when he was rescued: “I tell you, I hugged them so tight I thought I would never let go.” Using rich acrylics and thick brushwork, Delinois (Haiti-born, like the author) creates active, emotionally charged playscapes from which the narrator often looks up gravely, making steady eye contact with viewers as if to say: I am strong enough for this. Danticat closes this powerful, affirmative statement with an eloquent author’s note. Whew! (Picture book. 7-11)