Reviews for The night Is for darkness

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Get ready for a twofer: a celebration of nighttime and moving all in one! Two woebegone children wave goodbye to their old home as their parent packs them and some remaining boxes into their departing car. Night has already fallen, and the family (which presents white) is leaving Minnesota in the deep, mysterious dark. But lovely lilting language celebrates the wonders that can be seen only when the sun is gone. “The night is for lightning. / The night is for glowing. // The night is for planning, / for packing / and going.” Soon the car drives through the woods to a cozily lit house, where another adult is waiting with hugs and food and warm beds. The author imbues his text with rhymes that exude comfort, no matter what fear a child might be battling. Meanwhile, the art presents this nighttime ride with evocative renderings of distant city lights and even more distant stars. Some visual gags come off as possible in-jokes (what is the significance of the street signs labeled Victor Hugo Blvd. and—perhaps—Valjean Rd. at the story’s start?), but all is forgiven in the rich mystery of shadows and the pulsing beams of a home’s bright lights. Expect soothing reassurances that render the night magical and moving home an adventure in this sweetheart of a bedtime tale. (Picture books. 3-6) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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