Nightlights

June 1, 2017
"Outside our window, / away in the night, / is a world full of wonder, / so quiet- / so bright." Thus opens this poetic exploration of all the different manifestations of light that can be seen in the nighttime. Two little black girls and the family dog go on a nocturnal drive with their white, bald, bearded, hipster dad, who points out all the wonders of the night sky: countless stars, the Milky Way ("poured from a dipper"), the waning moon, and a soaring meteor. Along with other, racially diverse people, they sit on blankets in a meadow, looking through telescopes and catching fireflies. On their return drive they spy a lighthouse flashing to save ships at sea, fluorescing waves, and the city lights, all sparkling "like diamonds / tossed on the ground." The street lamps reflect in the puddles, guiding them to their cozy house and upstairs to bed. Papa tucks them up in bed, where the only light left is their night light. While the angular, flat-colored, computer-rendered illustrations lack the warmth of more traditional-looking picture books, the magic of a drive with Papa and the many great ideas of things to be seen at night more than compensate. Here's a book that will surely lure the most homebound child away from the TV to beg to go outside at night. (Picture book. 2-5)

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January 1, 2018
Follow Papa (who is white) and his two little girls (both African American) as they appreciate the bright, shiny things in the dark night. The rhyming text isn't as accomplished as the crisp, luminous digital illustrations, which ably capture both nature's lights (moon, stars, fireflies) and artificial ones (fireworks, lighthouses, city lights).

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)