Lucia and the Light Book

Luminously illustrated by Mary GrandPré, a timeless adventure from master storyteller Phyllis Root about the loss of the sun — and one girl's brave quest to find it

In a cozy cabin high in the mountains of the Far North, Lucia and her family live a snug and contented life. But one day the wind screams fiercely and the sun does not rise over the mountain. Someone has stolen the sun! "Perhaps it has lost its way," says Lucia, who despite her mother's pleas sets out to find it with only a bit of bread, a tinderbox, and her milk-white cat to keep her company. In dramatic pastels, Mary GrandPré illuminates troll-pocked frozen mountains and wraps Lucia's family in a blanket of warmth. Inspired by Nordic lore, Phyllis Root spins a golden yarn of courage, love, and the age-old longing for the return of light.

Publishers Weekly

Root (Big Momma Makes the World) draws deftly from Nordic folklore to shape this tidy tale set high in the mountains of the Far North, where Lucia lives in a cozy cabin with her mother, baby brother, "velvet-brown cow" and "milk-white cat." One fierce, windy winter, the sun fails to rise over the mountaintop for days on end; in the dark cabin, the baby begins to "fret and fuss," the cow stops giving milk and the "fire smoked and shivered and refused to heat the corners of the house or bake the bread." GrandePr (Sweep Dreams) paints the shadows stretching eerily along the cabin's walls, yet still maintains the warm bonds of the small family. Against her mother's wishes, Lucia and her cat set out in the darkness to climb the mountain where the sun once rose. When they finally reach the peak, Lucia encounters fearsome-looking, hungry trolls who tell her they have hidden the sun away and that they intend to eat her. The brave lass tries to distract them, but it is the quick-thinking feline who manages to unravel the sun's wrappings. As the light washes over the mountainous terrain, the palette of GrandePr 's incandescent pastel art changes dramatically. Shades of gray and blue give way to brilliant, warm hues. Lucia's triumphant homecoming brings this winter adventure to a sunny close. Ages 5-8. (Nov.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.