The armadillo is something they have only seen in pictures.ĭavid gave his poems tantalizing titles, often using word play, to pique readers' interest. My granddaughters readily identified the cougar, noting that we call them mountain lions. Something I love about this book is that its poems feature creatures from a variety of environments, so that readers can learn more about animals that live where they do and learn about animals that are alien to them. The 22 poems draw the readers into a scene with each animal, and fact pages in the back give extra information in easy-to-read bullet points. A great example is the ominous illustration for "A Night's Work (Deer Mouse)" which emphasizes the mouse's need to beware of predators.Īs children wonder more about the world outside, After Dark will answer their questions about what goes on while they are asleep. Young children will appreciate and learn from Stephanie Laberis' vivid illustrations depicting scenes from the poems, each set against the dark of night. Yes, it's a picture book, but this is truly one for all ages, and one that kids can grow with. I was pleased to receive an advance copy and host David and his book on my blog. The poems, illustrations and these notes will be a terrific start to more research if you choose to know more about the creatures "After Dark"! I've shared some peeks, hoping you want to discover more about the animals at night we rarely see, as David writes of the raccoon in his poem that ends the journey in "No Fooling": "Fading shadow, shaggy streak,/vanishes silently up a tree." These survivors in the night trick us into believing nothing is out there, but they are.Īdded in the book are brief paragraphs offering more information about each animal. Here in these poems and pictures lies a world to explore. However, I cannot say I've known that the "Armored Night Knight", a nine-banded armadillo, can go underwater and "finds a brook of bubbling promise, holds his breath, strolls the bottom." Peepers are possibly familiar to many, and David celebrates them in "Hear This! Hear This!, as are slugs, of "Slimy Character" who "leave a sticky line/across the walk". A second scare "In A Mood" shows the scorpion "Stinger raised, pinchers ready, you enter the night." "The King" tells of the tarantula "flexing fangs/like spears in the night/moving off like black ink". I imagine many of you know some "night" creatures, but perhaps not the insects that are out, taking their own meals in smaller bites. There, the cougar, in "Posted Property" hides his leftover night meal, leaves his mark, "reminding others/where they should not be." In "Night Class", a mother skunk warns that "The street is/never empty." I smiled in remembering my own camping trips when an owl goes hunting in "Owl Rules" and David reminds "you'll keep us sleepless/half the night" while Stephanie shows a camping family with its own 'owl' eyes hearing that owl in its nest hideout. This opening poem's delight sets the stage for more questions, this time about wolves, but also a wonder about what's next, what else can be discovered in the night? If only for a time, we can explore the night through David's and Stephanie's "night eyes"! Stephanie creates three scenes from the comprehensive poem with a double-page spread, a wolf howling at the moon, allowing the moon to light up the entire two pages the wolf mom nursing her pups and the pups themselves playing in the night. For example, the very first one, "The Rehearsal" includes the behavior of grey wolf adults who hunt for food to feed young pups, keep them safe for now as they grow. As I read the poems, I imagine sharing them with students, excited that David cleverly includes so much of each animal's behavior in his words, including clues in the titles. In this book, they've offered a peek at the magic "After Dark". I know that other creatures are out there, living their night lives, just as David shows us through his poems, as Stephanie has illustrated those words. We humans can't see much, but many animals can and need to. Sometimes I hear owls, and one very surprising time, I saw a coyote walking down the street, readying itself for night work. Most often I see a rabbit hopping, stopping for nibbles. Sometimes, I sit outside (longer in summer) to see if I can be still enough to spot a creature moving nearby, to hear an animal's cry. When you read and see examples below, I imagine you will say that Van Gogh is right. Vincent Van Gogh said, "I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day." For this book, David has written twenty-two poems about animals who live and ensure their survival in the night and Stephanie Laberis shows their unique hues and markings in her own "richly colored" illustrations.
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