From the January/February 2005 issue of The Horn Book Magazine

On the Cover
Inside and Outside

By Lynne Rae Perkins

When we asked Lynne Rae Perkins (recipient of a 2004 Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Award for Picture Book for Snow Music; see page 18) to paint us a snowy cover for this issue, she painted two, saying she couldn't make up her mind. Neither could we. “Indoor Weather” graces our cover; we've reproduced “Outdoor Weather,” in black and white, on page 128. To see it in its original glorious color, see the bottom of this page.

I. INDOOR WEATHER
Swirls of steam rise from the cup of hot cocoa. The window is patterned with a heavy frost. The cat, sharpening his claws on the comforter, releases a cloud of downy feathers.
I saw this happen once, the air full of baroque atmospheric events, and I've wanted to draw it ever since. (I tried once before, but didn't get it right.)

Actually, in my case, it was steam from a cup of coffee.

As I worked on the picture, I thought of the line, "It was a café society, where people talked and drank cocoa far into the night." But I can't remember what it's from. Maybe someone who reads this will tell me.

II. OUTDOOR WEATHER
Last winter, my daughter and I took our dog for a walk on a snowy evening, late enough that it was almost, but not completely, dark. We live in a semi-rural area, no streetlights. Only the closest shapes were identifiable; all else was dark murk.

The vaguely doglike shape bouncing back and forth ahead of us led us on. We thought we saw a deer, but who could tell? The only things we saw with clarity — reassuring clarity — were the lit windows of the few houses on the road.

Art © 2004 by Lynne Rae Perkins