Bright Winter Night

PreS-Gr 2--Rhyming couplets tell the tale of a diverse assemblage of forest animals sharing a magical winter night. Working as a team, a stag, bear, beaver, squirrel, mouse, rabbits, birds, and wolves all cooperate in constructing a sled: "Together they have built this sleigh, no one hunter, no one prey." They put together the comfortable, iconic winter vehicle in order to travel to a forest clearing where they can participate in another group activity--reveling in the dazzling show of the northern lights. Watercolor, both paint and pencil, along with digital media, create a mainly blue and white color scheme with touches of brown, pink, and gray. The animal's names are all in capital letters, and the placement of the poetic text varies from page to page throughout. Rounded, cartoon-style creatures have eyes reminiscent of Jon Klassen's Bear and cooperate harmoniously as a Peaceable Kingdom--type of community. VERDICT This winter tale would work well for dusky afternoon story hours in December or a bedtime story; the muted illustrations and the text, which has a perfect scan and beat, begin energetically but slow to soothing, steady levels as the animals settle down to sleep.--Maryann H. Owen

The northern lights attract a group of animalian sledders in this enchanted tale; "The forest calls, and creatures come: / big and small, one by one./ They sense there is a task to do/ as night descends, replacing blue." Falcon, Wren, and Beaver arrive first, each bringing supplies through the snow, which Stag, several rabbits, and Bear help to transform into a sled. With Mouse at the reins of a pack of wolves, the motley crew ("no one hunter, no one prey") weaves among snowbanks and tree trunks until "bump, bump, bump!" they crash. A speedy recovery sees them soon on their way to a clearing, where the sky lights up with the aurora borealis--a spectacle that draws them together with its "dazzle, glow, and blaze." Awash in shades of purple, blue, and pink, Lindsay's watercolor and digital artwork project the magic evoked by Brydon's smooth rhymes, illuminating a magnetic portrait of woodland camaraderie. Ages 3-7. (Dec.)

"Destined to be a favorite bedtime read-aloud." —Kirkus Reviews