There Was a Shadow - by Bruce Handy (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

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.

A New York Times Best Children's Book of 2024!
A Bookshop.org Best Picture Book of 2024!
A 2025 Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year!

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.

Review Quotes

"Handy's words and Feng's images exquisitely intertwine to cast shadows in a new light: Three children and a dog frolic in a meadow, accompanied by their jubilant doubles, then rest under the canopy of a tree, where shade equals sanctuary, before making their way home as day gradually stretches into night."--Jennifer Krauss, Children's Book Editor "New York Times's "Best Children's Books of 2024""

STARRED REVIEW! ★ "Lulling, mesmerizing lines by Handy observe shadows as they grow and fade, reflecting life over the course of a day... A reiterative narrative voice invites readers to pay attention... Short sentences, progressing stepwise, reveal fresh surprises... Atmospheric spreads by Lisk pay attention to the play of light and its source--sunlight casts warm shadows, the indistinct shadows of dusk contain mystery, and moonlit shadows enchant. Together, the creators' shared intensity gives this carefully observed work its resonance."-- "Publishers Weekly"

STARRED REVIEW! ★ "The absence of light inspires its own unique story in this scintillating, kid-centered view of shadow play... Handy picks apart this day-to-day darkness while preserving its magic and wonder. Meanwhile, Feng's art depicts the natural existence of shadows, outdoor and in, with an evocative sense of wonder. The world on these pages is rendered realistically, its innate magic still held intact. With kids' fears banished, these shadows are no less enigmatic for being observed so closely in this lyrical, loving ode."-- "Kirkus"

"A lyrical illustrated celebration of the changing light, in the world and in the inner world... The world of shadows, physical and psychic, comes alive with uncommon tenderness -- the story, unfolding with a lovely rhythm partway between lullaby and villanelle, of a girl who ventures outside to discover that everything casts a shadow... She also discovers that no shadow is fixed, that the loveliness of life is largely a matter of attending to the ever-changing light."--Maria Popova "The Marginalian"

"A poetic catalog of light and shadow... There are the obvious--tall, skinny, soft, short, hard, faint--but also the playfully unexpected, like one of my favorites, 'a look-closely shadow.' Handy avoids writing anything eerie or scary. Instead, he tenderly describes the way light and shadow flicker in our minds and hearts. His sensitive, lyrical text acknowledges the complex emotional contrasts of being a child (of being human). As Woolf wrote in To the Lighthouse, 'A light here required a shadow there.' Lisk Feng's illustrations are equally luminous, if not more so... We turn from page to page; the hours pass; light fades in and out, expanding and contracting, dancing and dazzling. Color and composition play with the changing dimensions of light and shadow, creating a vivid psychological portrait. Poring over the pictures, I'm inevitably struck by a shock: On an ordinary day, in the observable world, inside a bug's shadow or a shimmer of sunlight on a cheek, the spectacular truth of existence is briefly revealed before it quickly fades back into the shadows."--Taylor Sterling "Moonbow"

"A poetic look at the shadows and their emotional resonance that a child encounters throughout a day. Bright, expressive illustrations of nature and home."-- "Bank Street College of Education"

"An evocative exploration of shadows, both literal and metaphorical... Handy examines the omnipresent big and small shadows of the natural world, from the noontime shadow a tree casts, to the subtle shadows that land on a face or water. Feng's delicate, fine-lined illustrations bring these depictions to brilliant life on the page... Handy tells this multilayered story with tenderness and reverence for the interior world of children. There Was a Shadow flows like poetry and sparkles as Feng's beautifully wielded, sun-dappled illustrations impart mood and mystery. It's easy to get lost in these shadows."-- "BookPage"

"Feng's soft-lined illustrations visually articulate the essence of Handy's 'stretching shadows, ' easing day into night. It is a gentleness not often found in modern landscapes dominated by lightbulbs that jolt light-dark/dark-light without warning. Here, readers can adjust to illuminative changes incrementally, moving slowly, as children often need to when they're processing experiences... In darkness, moon-dancing shapes are assigned emotions: 'happy, sad, and other feelings, too.' The flowers of daylight are replaced with hints of luminescent creatures in tall grass. These scenes leave room for mystery and suggest to us that we don't always need to avoid the shadows we encounter or the complicated feelings that arise within us."-- "New York Times"

"Handy and Feng explore and celebrate the juxtaposition of light and shadow from sunrise to sunset... The poetic language beautifully complements Feng's gorgeous digitally rendered illustrations... Offers much to contemplate."-- "The Horn Book"

"Shadows are one of those daily wonders that eventually become invisible to grown-up eyes. But not to kids. And this book reminds us of the magic they can contain."--Travis Jonker "100 Scope Notes (a School Library Journal blog)"

"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. Older readers will appreciate the meditative aspect of this artful book. Recommended for ages 5+ and their families; the book could be used in early grade classrooms for units on the sun."--Stephanie Tournas, Robbins Library (Arlington, MA) "Youth Services Book Review"

"This poetic picture book explores many aspects and types of shadows, both literal and metaphorical... Feng's lyrical illustrations play with light and dark, times of day, various emotions, and relationships between people and nature to perfectly match the poetic tone of the text."-- "Booklist"

About the Author

Bruce Handy is a journalist, humorist, editor, and essayist. The Happiness of a Dog with a Ball in Its Mouth, his first book for kids, was named a Best Children's Book of 2021 by the New York Times. He is also the author of Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children's Literature as an Adult and the picture book What If One Day..., illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin. He lives with his family in New York City.

Lisk Feng is an award-winning illustrator. She has worked with clients such as the New York Times, the New Yorker, and Apple, and has illustrated several children's books, including Everest, A Hug Is for Holding Me, and Our World. In addition to receiving recognitions from the Society of Illustrators and Communication Arts, she was selected for the 2019 Forbes "30 under 30" list for Art and Style. Originally from China, she now lives in New York City.