Flashlight

Boyd follows Inside Outside (2013) with another wordless picture book, this one about a boy's nocturnal backyard explorations. Working in gouache, Boyd paints on vast expanses of black, outlining the boy (who could easily be the same one from the previous book) and his surroundings in a muted gray-blue; using a flashlight, he aims a cone of white light high and low, creating pops of color amid the darkness. He finds a lost boot, spots bats overhead and mice underfoot, and notices a porcupine in the crook of a tree, among other discoveries. While the book clearly demonstrates just how much animal activity takes place at night, Boyd's goals aren't strictly naturalistic. After the boy drops his flashlight, it's retrieved by the very animals he found before; one by one, they turn the flashlight's crisp beam on him, observing him just as he did them. Once again, Boyd showcases a child who is fully capable of educating and entertaining himself with only a few simple tools (a camping tent, a flashlight) at his disposal. Ages 2-6. Agent: Liza Pulitzer-Voges, Eden Street. (Aug.)

PreS-Gr 1--A wandering boy investigates the night in this wordless picture book. Bold black backgrounds feature outlines in grays, whites, and muted greens of trees, stream, plants, and animals. Each page discloses in full color something formerly hidden via the stream of light from the child's flashlight. Readers discover flags on a treehouse, apples on the ground, and a deer. In a fun twist, when the flashlight drops, various creatures take turns shedding light on the boy. A luna moth flutters on each page, waiting to be discovered. This elegant book serves to alleviate fear of night noises, instigate talk of nocturnal creatures, or bring calm as a bedtime story.--Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA