The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper

'So the shortest day came, and the year died...'

As the sun set on the shortest day of the year, early people would gather to prepare for the long night ahead. They built fires and lit candles. They played music, bringing their own light to the darkness, while wondering if the sun would ever rise again...

Written for a theatrical production that has become a ritual in itself, Susan Cooper’s poem The Shortest Day captures the magic behind the returning of the light, the yearning for traditions that connect us with generations that have gone before – and the hope for peace that we carry into the future. Richly illuminated by Carson Ellis, this beautiful book evokes the joy and community found in the ongoing mystery of life when we celebrate light, thankfulness, and festivity at a time of rebirth. Welcome Yule!

Susan Cooper wrote "The Shortest Day" for John Langstaff’s Christmas Revels, where it is performed annually across the country. She is the author of one of my personal favourite series, the classic five-volume fantasy sequence The Dark Is Rising, as well as many other books for children and adults. She lives on a salt-marsh island in Massachusetts, USA.

Carson Ellis is the creator of the New York Times bestseller Home and the Caldecott Honor Book Du Iz Tak? She is also the illustrator of The Composer Is Dead, written by Lemony Snicket, and Dillweed’s Revenge, written by Florence Parry Heide. She also collaborated with her husband, Colin Meloy, on the bestselling Wildwood series, and created the art for the albums of his band, The Decemberists. Carson lives with her family outside Portland, USA.

Paperback
32 pages
26.1 x 23 cm