#882 of 1001 · December 30, 2022

Come journey with me into the frosty dark through the pages of Phyllis Root and @marygrandpre’s Lucia and the Light. The story opens in a little cottage at the foot of a mountain in the Far North. Lucia lives with her mother, her baby brother, a brown cow, and white cat. One day, the light disappears, and the family is left without warmth. The young girl sets off on skis with her cat nestled inside the hood of her coat for company. At the mountain’s icy top, a wicked pack of trolls has hidden the sun in a bundle of rags to shield themselves from its rays. Lucia cleverly evades the hungry monsters and, with the help of her cat, uncovers the sun, which turns the trolls to stone. From then on, light fills the sky, warmth returns to the air, and the family is safe. Root draws inspiration from Scandinavian traditions celebrating Lucia of Syracuse, also known as Saint Lucy, for her dramatic adventure tale. GrandPré supplies thrilling pastel art with contrasting tones of chill blue and glowing yellow. #lucia #light #dark #day #night #snow #ice #troll #trolls #magic #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks