The Keeper of Stars

Written by Jennifer Harris

Illustrated by Dorothy Leung

Owlkids Books

978-1-77147-568-6

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

April 2024 

 

We know the bedtime routine. It usually includes getting washed, brushing teeth, dressing in pajamas, and the reading of stories. Milo's routine includes these but with a few extras, like tapping his dad's picture three times and then hitching a ride on a comet to help the Keeper of Stars. He'll have a busy night ahead.

From The Keeper of Stars, written by Jennifer Harris, illustrated by Dorothy Leung

What does the Keeper of Stars do? They clean up the skies, and there's a lot to clean up. There are airplane smudges, balloons, and stray feathers, but also stars that need washing and polishing. (This sweet sentiment is so reminiscent of my own father speaking about moving the clouds and shining the stars while we slept that I get a little lump in my throat.)

From The Keeper of Stars, written by Jennifer Harris, illustrated by Dorothy Leung

The Keeper of Stars, a large bear with a star patch upon its forehead, instructs Milo how to bathe the stars, even as they get ticklish, and then, watched over by owlets and bats, how to put back all those fallen stars which sailors use for navigation. It's a lovely playful time for Milo and the stars.

 

When they are finally done for the night, the Keeper of Stars and Milo sit down for a repast of herring sandwiches and cocoa before the child returns to his bed, not always remembering his nightly endeavours.

From The Keeper of Stars, written by Jennifer Harris, illustrated by Dorothy Leung

Most bedtime stories are filled with tenderness as little ones settle and a quiet descends. But Jennifer Harris's story has a special gentleness to it. Perhaps it's the solemnity with which Milo taps his father's photo beside his bed when sleep is nigh. Perhaps it's his mother's exhaustion as she maintains Milo's bedtime routines as she falls asleep as he slips away to join the Keeper of Stars. Perhaps it's the camaraderie of working alongside others to get a job done but still having time for a bit of joyous play. Perhaps it's all of those things. Reading The Keeper of Stars will leave young readers calm and intrigued, looking into the heavens for the big bear of Ursa Major and falling stars and even owls and bats in the night sky. And maybe even dreaming of their own celestial adventures.

 

Toronto's Dorothy Leung, who illustrated When the Wind Came and The Bird Feeder, uses a style of art that enhances Jennifer Harris's sensitive story. She uses pencil and gouache, as well as Photoshop, to create images that are both ni and grounded, taking readers into the heavens but from the familiarity of a child's room at bedtime. Even when juggling the stars and arranging them into messages, Milo has an earnestness about him. He is quiet and busy, doing what he must but recognizing the joy in what he is doing, for himself and others. Dorothy Leung gives him an inner serenity which, considering his focus on his father's photo, would be a challenge for many. She brings the quiet and takes away the fears of the night, through her choice of colours, the softness of her shapes, and the expressive lines of her characters, which include the stars.

 

If you have a little one who needs to be drawn gently into the world of sleep, The Keeper of Stars will do just that. It will take them in hand to dream of nightly duties by joining those who populate our heavens and add sparkle to our lives. It will help them sail into the calm of sleep and the respite of the tireless.

The Midnight Club

Written by Shane Goth

Illustrated by Yong Ling Kang

Owlkids Books

978-1-77147-394-1

40 pp.

Ages 3-7

October 2021

 

The darkness of the night doesn't stand a chance when two sisters, and a cat, head out on a secret adventure, unbeknownst to their sleeping parents. With a secret hand sign and a quiet step, the Midnight Club is in session.

From The Midnight Club by Shane Goth, illus. by Yong Ling Kang

After Milly wakes up her older sister Becca and they give the secret sign of the Midnight Club–one finger on one hand and two on the other–the two girls sneak out of their bedroom and guardedly past their parents' room. In a game, following the club's rule of not touching the shadows, the pair cautiously make their way down the creaky stairs to the uncharted land of their night-time main floor. They enjoy their dad's forbidden chair and jelly beans, including the use of his back-scratcher, try on their mother's clothes and play with the shadows made by the streetlights.

From The Midnight Club by Shane Goth, illus. by Yong Ling Kang

Always listening for a creak or a scratch, they let in Oliver the cat a.k.a. the President of the Midnight Club, before playing a feline version of Follow the Leader. And even though they are reluctant to admit sleepiness, the two sisters yawn and stretch and return to bed as carefully as they vacated it, determined to keep the secret of the Midnight Club.

From The Midnight Club by Shane Goth, illus. by Yong Ling Kang

Though this is Shane Goth's first picture book, this Vancouver writer has the lightness of touch to charm us with a story of the sisters' night time exploration of their house. It's not just sneaking out of their room at night; it's an opportunity to bond and let their imaginations play while both safe in the familiar and vulnerable with the novelty. There is play and some impulsivity though also caution. Most of all, there is togetherness as Becca and Milly delve into the unknown nature of their home.

From The Midnight Club by Shane Goth, illus. by Yong Ling Kang

Yong Ling Kang's artwork has graced several picture books previously reviewed here (Tanna's Owl and This House is Home) so I know that she has a fluid style that fits the story. As such, her pencil and watercolour art in The Midnight Club gives the story the low-light softness of a late night caper. The blues, greens and purples of the dark house are never scary, only mysterious, compared to the brightness of the occasional light inside or outside the house, illuminating the children with warmth and an etherealness. Yong Ling Kang's delicate touch evokes the fleeting nature of the children's antics, ephemeral in fact, only for that meeting of the Midnight Club.

 

By bringing play into the scariness of the dark, Shane Goth and Yong Ling Kang's The Midnight Club will charm many a young child to new perspectives on their own homes and spur on imaginative play, whether in the night or the day.

Night Walk

Written by Sara O'Leary

Illustrated by Ellie Arscott 

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-796-2

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

September 2020

I think a lot of us have sleepless nights, nights during which we are "owl-eyed" and our heads churn. When this little girl can't sleep, her dad offers her a solution in a Night Walk.

 

From Night Walk by Sara O'Leary, illus. by Ellie Arscott

So pulling on boots, hat and coat over her pajamas, the child joins her father in a walk "just to be out." As might be expected, everything looks different at night, as they walk "from one island of light to the next like explorers," peeking into the lit windows of people's late-night lives. There's the variety store's sad-looking woman joyously welcoming a baby in her apartment above. There are people at restaurants or eating at home. Others are walking dogs or cycling or traveling by bus. One man plays his violin to his pets on his deck decorated with fairy lights.  Everywhere there is life and colour, sound and quiet.
 

From Night Walk by Sara O'Leary, illus. by Ellie Arscott

A final stop on their Night Walk takes the child and her father to the playground where she recognizes that this community of people and places, which she usually only experiences in the daylight hours, is her home and where she wants to be.

From Night Walk by Sara O'Leary, illus. by Ellie Arscott

 

Sara O'Leary loves to give us a child's perspective on the ordinary which becomes extraordinary through their eyes and she has done the same with Night Walk. By seeing her community, one she passes through regularly during the day, at a different time and lit from outside by the moon and streetlights and from within by lamps, the child sees differently and is amazed. It's this wonder that Sara O'Leary, whose previous works include A Family is a Family is a Family and When I Was Small, captures in the depth and simplicity of the child's words and thoughts. They are told from her perspective and with her voice, and the fascination with this new world is unmistakable.

From Night Walk by Sara O'Leary, illus. by Ellie Arscott

This is Toronto artist Ellie Arscott's first picture book but she matches the marvel of the child's experience with illustrations that reflect the sweeping landscape of the neighbourhood. In her watercolour and ink artwork, Ellie Arscott takes the homes and businesses and people in the community from the backdrop into the all-around i.e., foreground, middle ground and background. The reader will still always be able to pick out the child in her bright red vest but Ellie Arscott makes us feel like we are seeing the world from the young girl's point of view and it is this world that is the star of Night Walk.

I hope that there will always be someone to guide a young child on a Night Walk of discovery, safe in their community and open to all the lights that shine.

Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night

Written and illustrated by Graham Annable

First Second

978-1-250-21130-9

128 pp.

Ages 6-10

April 2020

Peter and Ernesto, the two sloths from Graham Annable's first two books, A Tale of Two Sloths and The Lost Sloths, return to bring us another wonderfully heart-warming tale of friendship from deep in the tropical jungle.

From Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night by Graham Annable

Peter, the more cautious of the two sloths, is trying out his new wind sock, made from fabric their sloth tree mate Bernard had found. Sadly there is no wind but Ernesto, always up for an adventure, wants to go check out a dragon that the motmots assure him has been seen at the spooky old temple by the river.  Not surprising that when the sloths discover Bernard is missing, Ernesto is convinced their friend has gone to see the dragon because, of course, that's what Ernesto wants to do.

From Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night by Graham Annable

Even though the cautious Peter isn't convinced, he and the other three sloths (Stu, Rodrigo and Lola) follow Ernesto, meeting a swooping bat who warns them to be careful in the Dark Glades on the way to the temple. Though an owl, who thinks the sloths are very large mice, causes some consternation for the five sloths, a meeting with a polka-dot tree frog becomes a magical experience when he and his friends light the way for the sloths through the blackness of the Dark Glades.

From Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night by Graham Annable

But getting through the Dark Glades is but one step in their search for Bernardo and/or the dragon at the temple, and it takes a turn when Peter falls from a broken zip line.  As Ernesto and the three sloths find their way to the temple and make the acquaintance of a different kind of dragon, Peter is meeting a river otter who is rebuilding a boat.  When everyone finally comes together, with new friends made, new alliances forged, and songs sung to ease their journeys, Peter and Ernesto and friends discover Bernard had found shelter and comfort far closer to home than anticipated.

Because the text is very light and much of the story is carried by the illustrations, Sloths in the Night is a great reading bridge between early reader and middle grade. Regardless of the austerity of his words, animator and cartoonist Graham Annable approaches the big issue of fears–of the darkness, of the unknown and even the known–with sensitivity, acknowledging that fears are very personal and cannot be disregarded just because another finds them unbelievable. As different as Peter and Ernesto are, they recognize the strengths and weaknesses in each other, appreciating attributes they themselves do not possess and accepting these differences as strengths. Even more endearing is the empathy they show to others, whether it be a homesick dragon or an otter with wanderlust, as well as to each other.

From Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night by Graham Annable

Graham Annable has created another modest story in Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night. It's modest in its messaging and matrix of story i.e. words and art. But it's also bold and assured in addressing the nature of fear and the power of friends to help. Like the polka-dot tree frog, Sloths in the Night illuminates the way through.

• • • • •

 

Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths (2018)

Peter & Ernesto: The Lost Sloths (2019)

Peter & Ernesto: Sloths in the Night (2020)

• • • • •

Sun Dog

Written by Deborah Kerbel

Illustrated by Suzanne Del Rizzo

Pajama Press

978-1-77278-038-3

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

May 2018

Falling asleep at night during the summer can be difficult in the Arctic because the sun never falls below the horizon, hence its moniker of "land of the midnight sun." Imagine being a little pup who knows she's supposed to go to bed with her boy but feels compelled to go outside and play. This is Juno, the Husky pup who lives with her boy in "a red house overlooking a faraway town perched on the edge of an invisible circle at the very top of the world." 

From Sun Dog by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Suzanne Del Rizzo

Juno, born in the spring, loves the sun and playing outdoors, though she yearns to be big like the sled dogs.  But when her boy goes to bed, Juno isn't ready to sleep. The pup sneaks out to play but finds the world a strange place to be without her boy. "She feels like an iceberg adrift on a giant sea." 

From Sun Dog by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Suzanne Del Rizzo

But when a polar bear approaches the house whose door Juno left open in her rush to go outside, the little dog finds a storehouse of courage within her big heart and is able to withstand her fear and give warning and, with a little help, keep her boy safe.

Children will love the story of Juno as Sun Dog, not least of which because she is an adorable dog, thanks to Suzanne Del Rizzo's elaborate and emotive dimensional art.  But I think that Deborah Kerbel's message that "Juno might be little, but there's a big dog inside her" is an meaningful one for young children who often feel too little to do anything significant and wish to be big so they can stay up late or go somewhere alone or just not be hindered by their youth or size. Juno takes it upon herself to do all those things, though she puts herself and others in danger.  Still, that small body holds a big heart filled with love for her boy and life and from that a boundless courage bursts forth.  Juno may have been frightened but she did all she could to ensure a happy ending.

The joy of being outside and the beauty of the Arctic landscape are beautifully conveyed through Suzanne Del Rizzo's artwork.  I've oohed and aahed over her polymer clay and acrylic paint art that graced her own My Beautiful Birds and other picture books and Sun Dog is no exception.  Those summer skies of yellow, pink, purple, and blue, with many shades in between, took me to that land of the midnight sun and the home of children who rarely saw themselves in books. Within that landscape, Suzanne Del Rizzo brought playfulness and charm, with the reality necessary to tell Deborah Kerbel's sweet story.

From Sun Dog by Deborah Kerbel, illus. by Suzanne Del Rizzo

It's lovely for me to review books by creators like Deborah Kerbel and Suzanne Del Rizzo whose work I've seen transform and evolve with each imaginative work.  Now, with their collaboration, a charming story has been synthesized from message and art into the brilliant and heart-warming combination that is Sun Dog.

When the Moon Comes

Written by Paul Harbridge

Illustrated by Matt James

Tundra Books

978-1-101-91777-0

40 pp.

Ages 4-8

September 2017

In a land so inescapably and inhospitably cold, hockey is the chance of life, and an affirmation that despite the deathly chill of winter we are alive. – Stephen Leacock

With Stephen Leacock's words prefacing the book, readers can anticipate a book of cold and ice which only hockey can warm to life.  This is our Canada.

Separate illustrations from When the Moon Comes 

by Paul Harbridge

 illus. by Matt James

The children in When the Moon Comes anticipate the coming winter, but it's all about the hockey.  November may still find ducks on the beaver flood in the woods but December finally brings the cold snap that causes it to freeze.  They're already envisioning being on the ice but Arthur suggests they must wait for the moon. When the snow finally comes, dumping it on town and country alike, and the lunar cycle progresses until the full moon, the children make their way after school to the place of dreams and action.

From When the Moon Comes 

by Paul Harbridge

 illus. by Matt James

Their long trek is rewarded with a fire that warms their skates and their anticipation as they take turns clearing the "magic ice."

It is dark, dark now, and the face of the sky is freckled with stars.  But on the far side of the flood, the sky is brighter behind the trees. The moon is rising.
     When the moon comes, we glide out onto the ice we have claimed.  It is marvelous ice, as good as any we have known.

From When the Moon Comes 

by Paul Harbridge

 illus. by Matt James

In several wordless pages of Matt James' extraordinary art, the children skate and play and are stars in their own arena.  It is only when the puck disappears into the snow that Arthur, the voice of reason, suggests it is time to end the game.  The game may be set aside but the magic at the fire, drinking tea and toasty sandwiches, is just a new play before heading home.

Our wet pants freeze solid in the cold, and we walk clanking like knights in armor, lances over our shoulders, hoods like helmets around our faces. 

The story ends with the children warm and slumbering at home while the moon with its promise of more hockey accompanies their sleep.

Paul Harbridge's story of late night hockey on a frozen beaver flood is as magical as the ice.  His words of anticipation and emotion are subtle but reverent, packed with feeling.  Like the world hidden beneath the snow and ice, there is a story of expectation from the past and of the future that underlies what is at its core a tale of shinny.  Artist Matt James, whose work I've admired in Northwest Passage (Groundwood, 2013), The Stone Thrower (Groundwood, 2016) and From There to Here (Groundwood, 2014), enriches Paul Harbridge's text with acrylic and India ink illustrations that convey the awe and appreciation of the children for their landscape and their activity.  There may be darkness and frigid temperatures but there is warmth and camaderie and action.  With many strokes of pen and paint, Paul Harbridge and Matt James take all readers to a place of inhospitable iciness and hospitable hockey that can only be witnessed and fully appreciated When the Moon Comes.

Song for a Summer Night: A Lullaby

by Robert Heidbreder 

Illustrated by Qin Leng

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-493-0

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

May 2015

Prepare to be lulled into the joyful warmth of a lullaby that will wrap reader and listener in that soft cacophony of a Canadian summer night.  It's when children ready for bed, after long days playing outside, peer out their windows at the creeping darkness of grey periwinkle and marine blues and anticipate a nightly show of colours, sounds and textures.  The branches of trees begin the show with their shh-shh’s, followed by the glint-glint of dancing fireflies, pinging bellflowers (they are bellflowers, after all) and snapping snapdragons, waltzing raccoons, hooting owls, rhythmic crickets, and a sparkling assortment of domestic and wild noisemakers.

The children are spellbound,
attuned to the park.
Its music brightens,
lightens the dark. (pg. 17)

The text is lyrical and the illustrations melodic. Song for a Summer Night harmonizes line and colour with the palatable sweetness of the sound splashes.  Robert Heidbreder does poetry with texture and Qin Leng’s fountain brush and ink art evoke that ethereal musicality, emphasizing darkening backgrounds with flashes of indoor lights, impressed young faces, and splotches of park green and flowers.  Oh, to be enjoying that view and orchestral piece, all without mosquitoes and flies nipping at elbows resting on window sills!

Truly a lullaby for a Canadian summer night.

shh-shh
glint-glint
ping-ping
tra-la-la
snap-snap
tip-tap
hoo-hoo
click-click
purr-purr
scratch-scratch
pound-pound (pg. 32)

What There is Before There is Anything There: A Scary Story

by Liniers

Translated by Elisa Amado

Groundwood Books

978-1-55498-385-8

24 pp.

Ages 4-7

September 2014

When it's time for bed, many of us are so thankful for the respite. But what of those that imagine or anticipate all manner of frights linked with the simple act of going to bed and the turning off of the light?

The little boy in What There is Before There is Anything There knows what will happen.  His parents wish him good night, turn off the bedroom light, and then his nightly visitors appear from what was his ceiling.  That dark expanse above his head becomes a black hole from which one odd little creature will float down, using his umbrella to soften his descent. Then it stands at the end of his bed and stares at the boy.  More quirky creatures, including monsters, a clown and a cat, come and circle his bed, also staring and speechless.  

What follows is what truly scares the boy.  A black, shapeless entity, with twig-like extensions, reaches towards the boy, now hunkered down in his bed, and speaks the only words he hears, "I am what there is before there is anything there." (pg. 17) The boy's solution is to run to his parents' bedroom for safety.

Though most picture books that want to reassure young ones that the monsters and bogeymen and shadows that frighten them at night are not real, What There is Before There is Anything There doesn't offer that consoling reassurance.  Argentinian cartoonist Liniers wouldn't lower himself to such a pat storyline. After all, there is no reason for anything to change because he is in his parents' bed: the darkness is everywhere in the house and he still brings the imagination that created the creatures.  In fact, Liniers' cross-hatched darkness is perhaps more frightening than a fully-darkened page.  This darkness is suspended around the boy's room, pressing down its crushing load of fear all about him.  I won't tell you how it ends, but be prepared to offer an explanation before you read it to someone young.  They'll expect an appropriate and satisfying answer.  Otherwise you'll never get them into their own bed again. (Maybe kidding, maybe not.)