Night Boy

PreS-Gr 1—Before going to bed, Night, portrayed as a little boy, plays hide-and-go-seek with his big sister, Day. Accompanied by his teddy bear and carrying bagfuls of stars (and some milk and cookies), he hops into his spaceship and races off to find her. As he searches, he arranges the stars into constellations and creates the Milky Way by dropping his snacks. Ultimately, he fails to find Day, but she calls him back to their house, tucking him in upon his return and promising to play again after he wakes up. Painted predominantly in purples and blues, the acrylic spreads attempt to offer a sweeping portrayal of Night's journey. However, the cartoon-styled characters' glazed, staring eyes; oversize heads; and generally static expressions ruin any charm this rhyming story may have had. Sprinkled throughout are a few Post-it-like notes from Day. These vignettes offer a diagram of the phases of the Moon, a compass rose, and the direction of the sun's travel throughout the sky (a brief nonfiction note about the day/night cycle would have been considerably more useful). Mixed metaphors and the uneven quality of the illustration make this book additional at best.—Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY