Picture books
"In the night garden, fireflies look like fallen stars."
Those of us fortunate enough to spend time in gardens tend to do so in the daytime when the sun beams bright, busy bees and other pollinators bustle around doing their essential work, and humans sometimes accompanied by canine companions plant, weed, water and harvest.
Carin Burger's In the Night Garden introduces young readers and listeners to a whole different side of the garden in lyrical prose. Moon flowers open up as stars become visible. A cat frolics through a number of the pages. A mother fox tends to her cubs.
The collages are simultaneously breathtaking and soothing--highly detailed and whimsical. My favorites, of course, are the ones showing the gorgeous gold eyed black cat who looks and acts just like my precious ❤️ Tobago.
In the Night Garden would be an especially good parent-child read aloud for kids who view the darkness with apprehension, showing the quieter, gentler sides of night.
Young children tend to be fascinated with what adults do out and about in the world while they're asleep and dreaming. Julie Downing's Night in the City follows a number of essential workers through their busy shifts. A baker makes bread. A firefighter prepares for an emergency. A janitor at a museum dusts a dinosaur skeleton. A new baby arrives into the world.
In contrast to the dreamy collages of In the Night Garden, the illustrations of Night in the City convey a vibrant energy. The characters are diverse and inclusive. Throughout the book you catch glimpses of a child who gets tucked into bed by a parent heading off to work, sleeps and dreams and in the morning participates in a joyous reunion.
This book would be a great bedtime 🌙 😴 read for kids who have a parent who works at night.
Both books would be excellent acquisitions for public and school libraries and bed time story reading parents.
On a purrrsonal note, the meteorologists are getting all excited about the hurricane 🌀 they say is barreling toward Maine. It's supposed to hit Saturday. On campus people are scrambling to find indoor locations for outdoor weekend events. I'm hoping it fizzles out so we can have my family early birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 celebration. Yesterday Diane and I were the only ones in the community garden. There wasn't anything we could do except harvest. Oh, yeah, the pizza I sent a picture of had sungold tomatoes and eggplant from the garden. (Jules)
I don't think I like hurricanes. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to our long time garden buddy, Diane.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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