As Night Falls

January 1, 2023
Everything winds down at nighttime, right? Guess again. Some creatures rouse when others snooze. This lively book, narrated in concise, rich prose, kicks off with animals who, by night, propel a voracious food chain. The chain starts with microscopic organisms and grows as increasingly larger beings prey upon smaller, weaker creatures in turn--and concludes in a full-page spread with a fierce-looking, stylized tiger reigning victorious atop the chain, depicted with prey floating within a cutaway shot of its abdomen. But, as readers discover when a young tiger-costumed child and their pajama-clad sibling appear on the pages following that scene, this book isn't about nocturnal animals' dining habits. It's really about what children desire as night falls--to assert dominance over sleep, i.e., to cajole parents into extra romps and snuggles before bed. Youngsters will easily relate to that notion and will be captivated by the energetic, fanciful illustrations--created with gouache, watercolor, ink, colored pencil, and oil pastel--that explode in a dazzling array of colors as the creatures devour each other. The text plays with fonts, incorporating imaginative type settings throughout, enhancing visual interest. However, the juxtaposition between the dynamic scenes portraying the nighttime feeding frenzy and those depicting the children's rambunctious sleep-delaying tactics might prove jarring, though the tiger is shown finally settling down, too. The family is tan-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A charming, energetic attention-grabber--but one that probably shouldn't be read before bedtime. (facts about the animals named in the book) (Picture book. 3-6)

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March 1, 2023
With a going-to-bed frame, this picture book in rhyme takes those still wide awake after dark on a frenzied tour through the nocturnal food chain. A silhouette of a cat stalking a rodent beneath the window of a wide-awake child's bedroom sets the stage. In a quiet, blue-hued town, bursts of color and light indicate unseen activity. "Outside nighttime is action time for some... / THE MINI GO BALLISTIC." Tiny dinoflagellates consuming bacteria make a meal for the copepods who will be eaten by the goby fish and so on, all the way up to jackals, owls, and finally tigers. "Tigers eat whatever they want." Gouache, watercolor, ink, colored-pencil, and oil pastel illustrations layer bright colors that pop off the dark nighttime backgrounds and make dramatic use of light and shadow. Attractive compositions of flowing, swirling lines and shapes create the movement necessary for this busy animal world. When the wide-awake child, wearing a tiger suit, needs "one more prowl around the room / one more jump from pillow to pillow," the whole family rallies for one last burst of play before the book comes to a quiet close. In a final, striking spread, an immense orange tiger winds through the sleeping town -- one eye trained on an owl in the sky. Back matter provides more information on the creatures mentioned in this ecological bedtime story. Julie Roach

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from June 19, 2023
Napoli works a lively lesson on food chains into this raucous bedtime bestiary linking a child’s nighttime restlessness to the “Silly action/ Hungry action/ Wild action” that occurs outside “as night falls.” Though some children “nestle sweetly into sleep,” others’ thoughts race, “and they aren’t alone.” Out of doors, “the mini go ballistic” as luminescent dinoflagellates become prey to copepods, which are in turn gobbled by goby fish. As the chain continues, “the big ones go berserk.” Bat-nomming racer snakes become the prey of weasels eaten by jackals and so on, up to an apex predator: a full-bellied tiger fearsomely licking its chops (“Tigers eat whatever they want”). Napoli’s alliterative prose snaps like the jaws of its subjects as they “snicker snack,” while paintings by Sala employ vivid hues and psychedelic scenes of animals, mouths wide open, as they hunt and munch. In a clever concluding twist, the narrative comes full circle, proposing a way that little insomniacs might tame their own inner fierceness at bedtime. More about included creatures concludes. Ages 4–8.

January 1, 2023
With a going-to-bed frame, this picture book in rhyme takes those still wide awake after dark on a frenzied tour through the nocturnal food chain. A silhouette of a cat stalking a rodent beneath the window of a wide-awake child's bedroom sets the stage. In a quiet, blue-hued town, bursts of color and light indicate unseen activity. "Outside nighttime is action time for some... / THE MINI GO BALLISTIC." Tiny dinoflagellates consuming bacteria make a meal for the copepods who will be eaten by the goby fish and so on, all the way up to jackals, owls, and finally tigers. "Tigers eat whatever they want." Gouache, watercolor, ink, colored-pencil, and oil pastel illustrations layer bright colors that pop off the dark nighttime backgrounds and make dramatic use of light and shadow. Attractive compositions of flowing, swirling lines and shapes create the movement necessary for this busy animal world. When the wide-awake child, wearing a tiger suit, needs "one more prowl around the room / one more jump from pillow to pillow," the whole family rallies for one last burst of play before the book comes to a quiet close. In a final, striking spread, an immense orange tiger winds through the sleeping town -- one eye trained on an owl in the sky. Back matter provides more information on the creatures mentioned in this ecological bedtime story.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

December 22, 2023

K-Gr 3-A colorful, slightly spooky rumination on animals that go bump in the night and a child's imagination. The bulk of the book focuses on the animal kingdom at night, from the tiniest things that glow in the dark to nocturnal owls and tigers that prowl for food, then returns to the bedroom where the imaginative element is at play. The gouache, watercolor, and ink illustrations are engaging, lush, and equally creative as the text: children will recognize the animals but be excited by the way the illustrations move and prowl like the creatures themselves. The opening is somewhat slow to hook readers, but then the prose builds beautifully in wave after wave. That may make this less useful at bedtime. VERDICT This blue-hued picture book is a great read-aloud for animal lovers and kids who have enjoyed Where the Wild Things Are.-Aryssa Damron

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