Henry's Night by D. B. Johnson and Linda Michelin, ill. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.

ISBN: 9780547056630

Media: mixed media

A story inspired by Henry David Thoreau's Walden.  Henry is restless and cannot sleep so he takes his collecting jar and seeks out the night bird.  As he walks deeper into the forest he finds an amazing world of animales, plant life and brilliant stars.  The deep fog of the woods surrounds him but the song bird helps him find his way home.  A beutifully told story about the philosophy of Thoreau.

Literary Devices: onomatopoeia, allusion, peronification, sophisticated language, symbolism

Curriculum Connections: This story can be used to help teach about Henry David Thoreau his philosophy regarding the transendentalism and his role as a naturalist in American literature.  This book is a great starting point to study Walden by Henry David Thoreau in grades 9-12.  History, Literature, Social Studies

Rating: 5Q/5P

Wess Garcia, July 2009