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The Shortest Day

h1 December 19th, 2019 by jules



 


Early sketch and final art: “All the long echoes sing the same delight /
This shortest day / As promise wakens in the sleeping land.”
(Click each image to enlarge and to see spreads in their entirety)


 

At the risk of appearing super lazy, I’m doing today what I did on Thursday — I’m sending you over to another blog to read something. Megan Dowd Lambert has a post up over at Calling Caldecott today about Susan Cooper’s The Shortest Day, illustrated by Carson Ellis. The post is, of course, focused on the book’s illustrations. I love the deep dive that Megan takes into this book.

That post is here.

Here at 7-Imp, I’ve got some spreads from the book, and Carson also sent along some early sketches.

Enjoy!



 



 


Sketch and final art
(Click each to enlarge)


 


Final art: “They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen …”
(Click to enlarge spread)


 



 


Sketch and final art: “And so do we, here, now,
This year, and every year. / Welcome Yule!”
(Click each to enlarge)


 


(Click to enlarge cover)


 

* * * * * * *

THE SHORTEST DAY. Text copyright © 2019 by Susan Cooper. Illustrations copyright © 2019 by Carson Ellis and reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA. Sketches reproduced by permission of Carson Ellis.





2 comments to “The Shortest Day”

  1. Oh I can’t wait to see this in person. Thank you all for including the sketches. They are a window. The cover illustration instantly reminded me of William Blake’s “Ancient of Days”

         by Rob Dunlavey December 20th, 2019 at 5:45 am

  2. My 3rd brother would have been named Blaine-but we got another 2 sisters instead. Quite a thrilling find. The Book.

         by United States November 28th, 2020 at 9:58 am

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