Night Walk

September 1, 2020
When a child struggles to fall asleep, a night walk with Dad around the neighborhood proves transformative. Through the lit windows of the houses in her neighborhood--and in what appears to be a nearby, more urban area--the narrator gets a look at a shopkeeper who is grumpy by day but joyful by night and a Muslim family with hijabi female members having a cozy, late dinner. The unnamed protagonist marvels at how much happens all around town after bedtime. The child's father recounts that when he was younger, he lived in a rural area where he could walk through the dark for miles without encountering anyone else. His observation makes the child reflect on the home they share and how everything that's known and unknown about it--the day and the night, the friends and the strangers--contributes to a sense of belonging. The sparse, lyrical text lends the book a cozy, poetic quality that is both soothing and whimsical. The illustrations incorporate diverse body types, skin tones, and faith markers, and they represent a variety of homes ranging from two-story houses to apartment buildings. The book's only flaw is that the text, while well written, meanders such that the story's ending feels more like a surprise than a conclusion to the plot arc. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 65.1% of actual size.) A sweet rumination on family, home, and belonging. (Picture book. 2-6)

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January 1, 2021
"Can't sleep?" asks the narrator's dad. "Come on, we'll go for a walk" -- and the two set off into the night. This small adventure, described in the child's observant voice, is a lovely, calming exploration of the idea of home. As they walk through their neighborhood, the child notices that she and her father are not the only ones up and about. Through a window above the corner store, she sees the "sad-looking" store owner joyfully reaching for a baby. Now the narrator realizes not only that the woman "wasn't always sad" but that the store is also a home. She looks into well-lit windows, observes that each streetlamp creates its own island of light, and marvels that so many people are out this late. Throughout, her observations make it clear how fresh and new her neighborhood feels, while still remaining comfortingly familiar. "I belong here, and here belongs to me." Arscott's watercolor and ink illustrations are as fresh and comfortable as the story. Realistic details create the homey setting: Dad sports a T-shirt and jeans, the narrator wears a puffy red vest over her pajamas. The dark blues of the night are punctuated by warm spots of light from windows and streetlamps in a diverse, compact city neighborhood with businesses, apartment buildings, houses, and an expansive park. The satisfying bedtime story will get young listeners ready for sleep with the calming final sentence, "I am home." Pair with Denos and Goodale's Windows and Cole and Gomez's City Moon (both rev. 11/17).

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2021
"Can't sleep?" asks the narrator's dad. "Come on, we'll go for a walk" -- and the two set off into the night. This small adventure, described in the child's observant voice, is a lovely, calming exploration of the idea of home. As they walk through their neighborhood, the child notices that she and her father are not the only ones up and about. Through a window above the corner store, she sees the "sad-looking" store owner joyfully reaching for a baby. Now the narrator realizes not only that the woman "wasn't always sad" but that the store is also a home. She looks into well-lit windows, observes that each streetlamp creates its own island of light, and marvels that so many people are out this late. Throughout, her observations make it clear how fresh and new her neighborhood feels, while still remaining comfortingly familiar. "I belong here, and here belongs to me." Arscott's watercolor and ink illustrations are as fresh and comfortable as the story. Realistic details create the homey setting: Dad sports a T-shirt and jeans, the narrator wears a puffy red vest over her pajamas. The dark blues of the night are punctuated by warm spots of light from windows and streetlamps in a diverse, compact city neighborhood with businesses, apartment buildings, houses, and an expansive park. The satisfying bedtime story will get young listeners ready for sleep with the calming final sentence, "I am home." Pair with Denos and Goodale's Windows and Cole and G�mez's City Moon (both rev. 11/17). Maeve Visser Knoth

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)