At Night

This is a gentle, sweet bedtime story--with some of the most beautiful illustrations I've ever seen in a children's book. Also, the book is exactly the right lenght for my three year old daughter. She adores this book--as do I.

On some nights it's hard to sleep with family around - and a sleepless city girl decides to get away from her noisy family member to curl up alone under the skies in her own rooftop urban version of a backyard camping trip in AT NIGHT. Urban kids will find it an excellent, satisfying account of how to appreciate nature and solitude even in the big city.

Bean, Jonathan. At Night. Illus. by author. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. A young child can't sleep one night so she follows a soft breeze up to the roof of her apartment building and tries to sleep there. This simple plot is beautifully imagined in lovely watercolor illustrations that capture ordinary scenes and imbue them with a quiet and serene aura. In a series of poignant images the parents put their children to bed, the father carries a baby while another child holds her mother's hand and is pulled along running, and then they stand together in a bedroom doorway, the mother has her arms wrapped around the dad's waist, as they whisper, "Good night, happy dreams!" to the little girl. Although her room is dark and quiet, the little girl lies in her bed with her eyes wide open "listening to her family sleep" until a breeze stirs the curtains in her room, "blowing over the windowsill, it sank to the floor, drifted over her feet". Brown, orange and blue colors infuse these contemplative scenes with warmth and an old fashioned feel. Simple black lines outline color drenched figures and convey remarkably affecting expressions. A double spread near the end of the book shows the little girl resting peacefully in her makeshift bed that she has created from two chairs and a pile of bedding with her black cat sitting atop her comforter; her mother sits on the bed holding a steaming cup and gazing at the moon. The attractive colorful and detailed cover that shows the little girl and her mother on the roof against a tranquil early evening skyline -the mother is hanging laundry and the little girl is watering plants- hints robustly of the visual treats within. This small format book in which the illustrations take center stage is a little gem that is perfect for sharing with a preschool child at bedtime.

This book is one of the best examples of a story that has the child's eye. The engaging story that ends up on a roof top will be a mirror for children who live in an urban setting. For children who live outside of the city limits, Bean has created a welcome and refreshing introduction to the glorious aspects of being a city dweller. Mutliple readings will enable children to see new details and make fresh connections by viewing the flawless illustrations. This book will make a rich addition to any child's library. Highly recommended for school and classroom libraries!

This book is fun for those children who don't live in the city and wonder how children can have a fun time sleeping under the stars on a hot summer night. The pictures have just enough detail to be interesting without distracting from the story.