ELF NIGHT

A minor nighttime tale, with an excellent opening line, doesn’t hold its magic. “Sudden yellow moon / Splashing on the floor” shows a young boy rubbing his eyes, sitting up in bed under a brightly patterned quilt. The wind and magic call to him, and, barefoot, he and his bear wander into the moonlit night. Trees and grasses are the playground for a plethora of elves: some winged, some not, riding grasshopper or mouse steeds, or flying with the fireflies. The rhyme continues, describing the elves’ romp, until they are scattered by an owl’s scolding. The boy climbs back into his quilted bed, very awake indeed. The illustrations have some of the spiderweb and gossamer quality of Rackham without the depth and mystery; the verse occasionally clunks. The starry images and veteran author Wahl’s (Mabel Ran Away with the Toys, not reviewed, etc.) dreamy sensibility, however, make this an adequate addition to the bedtime shelf. (Picture book. 4-7)