Blackout

Blackout
John Rocco
Hyperion
2011
Caldecott Honor

I meant to review Blackout this past fall when I first had the chance to read it. This is one of those picture books I'd like to own--personally, I think it is a better book than A Ball for Daisy, the book that took Caldecott gold. I think its story/message is much more profound, and I really love the illustrations.

In Blackout, Rocco shows us what happens to a city apartment building when the power goes out. Oh no! All the gadgets/devices/screens/"tasks" that have lured folks inside their homes are no longer wielding any power. It happens to be summer, which means that the heat quickly infuses the previously air conditioned homes. It's also dinner time. People start emerging outside, on the roof, and... talking with their neighbors!

At the end of the book, when the power comes back on, what did they learn from their sudden blackout? You'll have to read it to see.