Thursday Thought: Blackout

Disney/Hyperion sent me a copy of this delightfully illustrated new book about a city-wide blackout based on a true story. My kids and I enjoyed reading it before bed the other night so I thought I'd share it with you. More info and a link to the trailer is below:

“Rocco's sublime account of a city blackout reveals a bittersweet truth: it sometimes takes a crisis to bring a family together,” said Publishers Weekly about Blackout, the new beautifully illustrated book by John Rocco. In the story a family experiences a revelation about the significance of spending quality time together. When the lights go out in the city, the neighborhood comes alive and the family finds wonder in their surroundings. In an age where multitasking is a coveted skill and time with the family is a scheduled event, Blackout brings to light the importance of taking a break from the television, computer and phone to enjoy the company of loved ones.

The story takes place on one hot summer night in the city when all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, "Mommm!" His sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can't work on her computer, and Dad can't finish cooking dinner. What's a family to do? When they go up to the roof to escape the heat, they find the lights--in stars that can be seen for a change--and so many neighbors it's like a block party in the sky! On the street below, people are having just as much fun--talking, rollerblading, and eating ice cream before it melts. The boy and his family enjoy being not so busy for once. They even have time to play a board game together. When the electricity is restored, everything can go back to normal . . . but not everyone likes normal. The boy switches off the lights, and out comes the board game again. Using a combination of panels and full bleed illustrations that move from color to black-and-white and back to color, John Rocco shows that if we are willing to put our cares aside for a while, there is party potential in a summer blackout.

To see the trailer, go here.