IT IS NIGHT

What could be more pleasant than a cozy circle of smiling animals on a starlit night?  

Beginning with the soft glow of a moonlit house and the soft buttery tone of the facing page, this charming bedtime story sways with a gentle rhythm both aural and visual. Sleepy nighttime scenes in muted tones alternate with individual, fuzzily outlined animals and toys against a background of rich, saturated acrylics. The story will delight children with its predictability, as each page turn raises and answers a question about where each toy sleeps, but the text is anything but pedantic: “Where does a railroad train go at night? / If it is going somewhere, it goes there. / And if it is not, it stands still on the tracks.” Rowand’s sweetly engaging story invites children to imagine the world at night, and Dronzek’s expressive illustrations and effective layout work hand in hand with the text to make this a perfect book to snuggle up with for repeated readings. Everything and everyone finds a safe place to bed down for the night, although young children will likely not be surprised by where they all actually end up sleeping.

Fresh illustrations give luminous new life to this reissue of a bedtime story originally published in 1953.