Daylight is something to celebrate in 'The Shortest Day'

Summary

NPR's Book of the Day: "Daylight is Something to Celebrate in 'The Shortest Day'"

Release Date: January 9, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of NPR's Book of the Day, host Andrew Limbong introduces listeners to the enchanting collaboration between Newbery and Caldecott Award-winning author Susan Cooper and illustrator Carson Ellis. The focus is on their 2019 children's book, Just the Shortest Day, which celebrates the winter solstice through a harmonious blend of poetry and illustration.

Celebrating the Winter Solstice

Susan Cooper begins by grounding the discussion in the significance of the winter solstice:

"Today, December 21, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere."
[01:16]

This pivotal moment marks not only the gradual return of longer days but also serves as a symbol of hope and renewal. Cooper highlights how, for over four decades, her poem, The Shortest Day, has been a beloved tradition read and performed to honor this astronomical event.

Carson Ellis adds depth to the conversation by describing the book as a "family celebration of the light coming back after the dark threatens to take over the world."
[01:53]

The Creative Collaboration

The heart of the episode delves into the collaborative process between Cooper and Ellis. Producer Samantha Balaban sets the stage by mentioning how Cooper and Ellis were brought together to discuss the creation of Just the Shortest Day.

Susan Cooper sheds light on the collaborative dynamics:

"We've been asking authors and illustrators how they work together or work separately to translate words into pictures for The Shortest Day."
[02:00]

Carson Ellis recounts her initial approach to illustrating the poem:

"My initial response was that I wanted it to look sort of like a Bruegel painting... and I was really daunting. I read the letter and thought, oh, gosh, this is a much harder book."
[02:44]

Bruegel's medieval landscapes, particularly his winter scenes like Hunters in the Snow, influenced Ellis's early illustration concepts. However, after sharing her mock-up with Cooper, she received crucial feedback that redirected the book's visual narrative toward more profound and serious themes.

Susan Cooper emphasizes the deeper undertones of the book:

"That's not really what this book is about. It's a book about deeper and more serious stuff... a lot of dread associated with the cold and starvation."
[03:00]

Illustrative Storytelling

The discussion highlights how Ellis's illustrations transcend mere depiction, embedding the poem's essence into visual storytelling. Before the poem begins, Ellis includes three or four wordless spreads that depict the diminishing light of the year, symbolizing the year’s decline and the associated fears of primitive societies.

Carson Ellis explains:

"The pictures show you not just the shortest day. They show you the way the light gradually gets less and less as the year diminishes towards the end... until the sun comes up again after the shortest day, which is the beginning of hope."
[04:13]

This approach allows readers of all ages to journey through time, connecting medieval peasants' experiences with contemporary sentiments about darkness and renewal.

Inspiration and Personal Reflections

Ellis shares personal anecdotes that tie her childhood experiences to the themes of the book. Growing up in a secular Jewish household, she found resonance in the universal joy of winter holidays depicted in Just the Shortest Day.

"This book helped me understand a little bit the joy of those winter holidays. It's more universal and it really is just kind of light triumphing over darkness."
[05:37]

Moreover, her memories of enduring World War II air raids in England, where candlelight symbolized safety amidst chaos, subconsciously influence her illustrations. This is poignantly reflected in the book's closing lines about feasting, gratitude, friendship, and hope for peace.

"When the bombs came closer, the candle would shake. And it's the obviously subconscious echo of that, I think, has gone all through my writing life."
[06:12]

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with a reaffirmation of the book's enduring message:

"People Carol feast, give thanks and dearly love their friends and hope for peace. Don't we all?"
[07:03]

Just the Shortest Day stands as a testament to the enduring human spirit, celebrating the return of light and the collective hope that binds communities across generations.

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Notable Quotes

• Susan Cooper:
  "Today, December 21, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere."
  [01:16]

• Carson Ellis:
  "It's a family celebration of the light coming back after the dark threatens to take over the world."
  [01:53]

• Susan Cooper:
  "That's not really what this book is about. It's a book about deeper and more serious stuff... a lot of dread associated with the cold and starvation."
  [03:00]

• Carson Ellis:
  "The pictures show you not just the shortest day. They show you the way the light gradually gets less and less as the year diminishes towards the end... until the sun comes up again after the shortest day, which is the beginning of hope."
  [04:13]

• Carson Ellis:
  "This book helped me understand a little bit the joy of those winter holidays. It's more universal and it really is just kind of light triumphing over darkness."
  [05:37]

• Carson Ellis:
  "When the bombs came closer, the candle would shake. And it's the obviously subconscious echo of that, I think, has gone all through my writing life."
  [06:12]

• Susan Cooper:
  "People Carol feast, give thanks and dearly love their friends and hope for peace. Don't we all?"
  [07:03]

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Final Thoughts

Just the Shortest Day is more than a children's book; it's a celebration of light over darkness, hope over despair, and community over isolation. Through Susan Cooper's evocative poetry and Carson Ellis's intricate illustrations, the book invites readers young and old to reflect on the cyclical nature of time and the enduring human capacity for resilience and joy.

Transcript

[Andrew Limbong]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. It's only getting brighter from here. We are on the other side of the winter solstice, and so every day will be a little longer, a little bit brighter until, of course, we get past summer and start it all over again and barrel towards the shortest day of the year. Writer Susan Cooper and illustrator Carson ellis have a 2019 kids book titled Just the Shortest Day. NPR producer Samantha Balaban got them together to talk about making the book, which we aired during this most recent winter solstice. After the break, NPR Scott Simon sets it up, and then Cooper and Ellis take it from there.

[Samantha Balaban]

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[Carson Ellis]

So the shortest day came and the year died. And everywhere down the centuries of the snow white world came people singing, dancing to drive the dark away.

[Susan Cooper]

Today, December 21, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

[Carson Ellis]

They lighted candles in the winter trees. They hung their homes with evergreen. They burned beseeching fires all night long to keep the year alive.

[Susan Cooper]

For more than 40 years, people have been reading and performing Susan Cooper's poem the Shortest Day to celebrate the winter solstice.

[Carson Ellis]

And when the New Year's sunshine blazed awake, they shouted, reveling down all the frosty ages. You can hear them echoing behind us. Listen.

[Susan Cooper]

Now that poem is a children's book.

[Carson Ellis]

It's a family celebration of the light coming back after the dark threatens to take over the world.

[Susan Cooper]

We've been asking authors and illustrators how they work together or work separately to translate words into pictures for the shortest day. Susan Cooper collaborated with Carson Ellis, the illustrator by mail.

[Carson Ellis]

I said in a letter to Carson that there is no story in this poem. We have to put the story in the pictures. So it's up to you, kid. And she certainly did.

It was one long, beautiful, very forthright, kind of daunting letter that Susan wrote to me, kind of telling me what she wanted the book to be able to do. And it completely changed the direction I was going in, and it was really daunting. I read the letter and thought, oh, gosh, this is a much harder book.

Oh, dear.

My initial response Was that I wanted it to look sort of like a Bruegel painting, if you know who Bruegel is. He's like a 16th century painter. He painted this really famous painting called Hunters in the Snow. I think a lot of people would recognize it. And he painted a lot of medieval scenes and a lot of great winter scenes. So I had this idea that I could kind of set the poem against the backdrop of medieval life and sort of chock it full of medieval details. So there would be a lot to glean about a life in medieval northern Europe from the book. That was kind of my initial response to it, But I started to mock this book up in this way that had these kind of merry villagers reveling on their way to a solstice celebration. And I sent it to Susan to ask her some questions. I had questions about the chronology of the poem and I had questions about the history of the solstice. So we had this exchange and when she saw these kind of cheerful, light hearted illustrations, she kind of corrected me and said, that's not really what this book is about. It's a book about deeper and more serious stuff. To paraphrase her, Just basically this sense that long ago those shortening days, along with them came a lot of dread associated with the cold and starvation. And actually, I feel like Susan should be talking about what this book is about. So I'm going to stop here.

The pictures show you not just the shortest day. They show you the way the light gradually gets less and less as the year diminishes towards the end. Carson does this beautifully by having three or four pictures before the poem even starts, showing you the sun weakening as the year goes on and the dread that this used to bring in the minds of primitive peoples. Until the sun comes up again after the shortest day, which is the beginning of hope. And the pictures manage to take you through time so that you are seeing those peasants from the Bruegel painting, but you are also seeing the same feelings echoed right up to the present day.

And I would add also that that idea of starting with those wordless spreads was actually Susan's idea. When we were initially talking about how to do the book, I think she said something like, you know, it's a pretty short poem and we have 32 pages. Do we have to initially jump right into the text? And it was such an obvious and brilliant way to start the book. I was sort of embarrassed that I hadn't thought of it myself as the illustrator.

It's a great idea. I didn't think of it myself either. I stole it from my daughter.

Oh.

So we're both indebted.

Another thing I love about this book is that as a kid I grew up in a really secular Jewish household. We celebrated Christmas and Hanukkah, but the general joy of the holidays associated with the birth of Christ was sort of lost on me. So this book helped me understand a little bit the joy of those winter holidays. It's more universal and it really is just kind of light triumphing over darkness. And light is always a cause to celebrate.

And I have an echo from my childhood, I think, because I was a kid during World War II in England and the long dark nights were the nights that brought the Nazi bombers over when we would be sitting in our air raid shelter underneath the back lawn with Mum reading books to us by the light of a candle. And when the bombs came closer, the candle would shake. And it's the obviously subconscious echo of that, I think has gone all through my writing life. And in this poem, particularly in this book, the line at the end of the book, people Carol feast, give thanks and dearly love their friends and hope for peace. Don't we all?

[Susan Cooper]

Susan Cooper and Carson Ellis, the Newbery and Caldecott Award winning author and illustrator, talking about their book the Shortest Day.

[Samantha Balaban]

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