Night Animals

Scary creatures who are themselves cowardly are always good for giggles. In Marino's sweet-tempered nocturnal comedy, large, scary animals flee from the threat of still larger and scarier animals. Marino (Following Papa's Song) paints her detailed animal portraits on black backgrounds, paying fine attention to composition and the textures of fur. A skunk asks a possum hiding in a hollow tree stump what he's doing. "Shhhhhh!! I'm hiding," says Possum. "What are we hiding from?" asks Skunk, now just a set of bright eyes in the dark of the stump. "Night animals!" replies Possum. In search of a less crowded space, they venture forth: "Help me!" says a wolf, who thinks he's being followed by a bear. They're all scared, big and small, and Marino ramps up the excitement until the animals encounter the scariest creature of all (hint: it lives in a tent). Bonus visual subplots involves Skunk's stench and Possum's tendency to... play possum. The spreads are polished, the story moves fast, and the laughs keep coming. Ages 3-5. Agent: Deborah Warren, East West Literary Agency. (July)

PreS-K--A great cover design--a scared-looking opossum, stark black background, and the title in shiny silver lettering--will grab kids' attention. Endpapers in black, relieved only by three pairs of wide open eyes, will build suspense. As the story begins, Possum is hiding in the woods when a friendly skunk comes along. Possum spreads a fear of "night animals" to the skunk, then a wolf, and a bear. It takes a calm bat to explain to them that they are night animals. The illustrations include a lot of visual humor, as in Possum "playing possum" by acting dead and Skunk spraying "perfume" each time they get scared. The inside of the cover includes scientific facts about the animals, which is a nice feature that unfortunately will present processing challenges for many libraries. VERDICT A good title to share with children who may be afraid of the dark to help them see the lighter side of fear.--Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA