Smoky Night by Eve Bunting

Bunting, Eve. Smoky Night. Turtleback Books, 1999.

Lexile Level: 530L

Book Review

Smoky Night by Eve Bunting is a beautifully written and illustrated book that tackles a very difficult and sensitive issue in a sensitive and compelling way. Set during the Los Angeles riots in 1992, Bunting's book tells the story of a young boy named Daniel who witnesses the racially charged rioting that occurred as a result of increasing unrest that was finally unleashed following the announcements of the verdicts in the Rodney King trial. Daniel goes to bed assuming that the riots had ended peacefully, only to be awoken in the middle of the night to find that his apartment building his been lit ablaze during the chaos. Daniel does not want to leave, however, as he is unable to locate his cat, thus the search for Daniel's cat in the middle of the riots becomes the core story of the book. Bunting does a wonderful job of demonstrating the severity of the riots as a whole, but also of giving the reader a window into how the riots impacted those involved on an individual level. Smoky Night is an excellent way to introduce a sensitive, difficult topic like the Los Angeles riots to children, allowing them to learn how serious and chaotic they were, without weighing them down with the heavy, graphic details of the event.

Learning Activity

The setting of this story is rooted in racial differences and inequalities. Daniel asks several questions to his mother about the riots and about how he should interact with others of his race versus those of another. I want to focus this activity on exploring the students interact with others that are different in a myriad number of different ways, yet are still friends and colleagues with those they are different from. After reading Smoky Night, I would have the students pair up and ask each other a handful of questions about their partner. Questions could include, but are not limited to, where is your family from?, how do you celebrate certain holidays?, etc..., in an effort to learn about their colleagues. They would then present their findings to the rest of the class.

Learning Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.6
Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.

Goal

The goal of this exercise is to help the students see that, although their friends and colleagues may have different backgrounds, beliefs, and ideals, they are all worthy of acceptance and inclusion.

Objective

Students will ask a partner questions about their background and home life, in an effort to learn more about their partners, then present what they learned to the class.