The Night Eater

This book is worth getting for the illustrations alone, round and clear and huggable. But as it happens, I like the story too and the image it creates of a being (you see him there!) that runs around gobbling up night so we can have day. It's such a fanciful idea, I just love it.

I review so many picture books for children that after a while it becomes difficult to separate the books that I think are "good" from those that I think are "spectacular". I tend to gush over good books. I'm a gusher. But once in a while I hit upon a book, author, or illustrator that is so original and engaging that it is all I can do not to sing their praises in a never ending burst of la-la-las. Ana Juan is one such artist. I'd loved her picture book biography of Friday Kahlo ("Frida" by Jonah Winter) and her illustrations for "Elena's Serenade" by Campbell Geeslin were awe-inspiring. Still, nothing completely worked perfectly well until Ms. Juan came out with "The Night Eater". A kind of commedia dell-arte for the kiddies (complete with a "Harlequin"-like protagonist) the story is a sweet little fable with pictures so jaw-droppingly engaging that I've had hard-core teenagers cooing over the colors. And what greater enticement can I give you than that, I might ask? The story stars a plump little long-eyelashed fellow eternally clothed in soft pink long-johns, a matching pink nightcap with an iridescent light at its tip, and a red pointed nose that ties nicely onto his face. This would be The Night Eater, and his job is to munch and devour the night-time so that the day can dawn everywhere. Wherever the Night Eater runs (and one assumes that he runs eastwards) that is where the sun comes up. One day though it becomes clear that The Night Eater has eaten so much night that the buttons on his long-johns are fit to burst. The moon mocks his plump status and in a huff our hero refuses to eat any more night. Initially the perpetual darkness amuses the people of the world and they explore the "nocturnal animals and perfumed flowers, whose petals opened only at night". However, a little darkness goes a long way and when the children complain to the Night Eater, he accidentally chews on a bit of star and before you know it he's forgotten why he stopped eating the night in the first place. So the daylight comes back, the world is back to normal, and the Night Eater makes sure to place a little piece of night in his hat, so that he might always remember its sweetness. Cute enough story. It sort of has the feel of promising children that no matter how dark the night is, there's an adorable little flouncy-trouncy fellow out there who's more than willing to gobble up the darkness. Ms. Juan, a native of Spain, wrote this book herself and her voice shines through with the utmost clarity. That is not why you should buy it though. You should buy it because with this title Ms. Juan has pulled out all the stops and has let her acrylics go absolutely wild. The book is a visual bombshell. You get a small hint of this when you look at the cover and title page, but about the time The Night Eater has skipped past a vibrant green mermaid brushing out her hair, you're hooked. The story almost feels like Juan's gentlest ode to Federico Fellini.

Our 2-year-old daughter loves this book. She thinks the Night Eater has a carrot for a nose and gets very excited pointing at the "big moon face!" and the "little moon face!" I, too, love this book. Ana Juan's illustrations delight the eye with delicious colors and wonderful, quirky details. Her writing is equally strong. The story is short, yet Juan's prose is elegant and engaging. Most importantly, the story is original and entertaining. One can imagine that some ancient people might have believed in the Night Eater. It's a charming story beautifully presented.

The Night Eater has a very important job. He goes around every night snacking on the starts to make room for his friend the sun. Things are good until one day the moon makes the comment that the Night eater is getting a little too large!! This hurts his feelings and so he stops eating the night time stars. Will things ever be the same? What will happen if there is no room in sky for the sun? Read The Night Eater to find out! .The book had an interesting story line. The illustrations were whimsical and fun to look at. I would recommend this book. My family and I read it together as a bedtime tale. All members of the family, from my little sister to my grandparents enjoyed the short story.

The Night Eater does a faithful job of consuming each night to make way for the break of day, taking special pleasure in consuming foggy clouds like cotton candy and the dark ones that taste like rich chocolate. An offhand remark from Moon about Night Eater's plump figure causes him to go on a diet and refuse to take one more bite of the night. Darkness ensues along with all its consequences. This is a beautiful, whimsical tale that is greatly enriched by Ana Juan's divine illustrations. My personal favorite shows the Sun greeting a variety of creatures to wish each one a good morning.