Check It Out - Blackout

BLACKOUT (written and illustrated by John Rocco)

Where were you when the lights went out?  A family living in an apartment building is caught with all of New York City when the electricity goes down. 

Avoiding the downside of the city’s 2003 blackout, Rocco explores the beauty of the dark and the connections that are forged within the family and neighborhood. 

Relying on black and navy with splashes of flashlight yellow, he portrays the family abandoning their now-useless electric and electronic devices, forming shadow pictures on the walls, and then making their way to the roof to see both their neighbors and the stars. 

Parents shouldn’t miss this opportunity to introduce Van Gogh’s Starry Night to young ones, since Rocco so unabashedly borrows from it for this book.  Children ages 4-8 will enjoy the book, available at the . 

For those who like their electricity and electronics, a trailer for the book can be viewed at the author's website.