Night Out
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- £2.99
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
Evoking picture book classics like Aaron Becker's Journey and Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express, here is an emotionally rich bedtime picture book about a lonely child's nighttime adventure that is also a showcase for the extraordinary illustrations of Daniel Miyares.
When a small, friendless boy goes to bed at his boarding school, an adventure is about to begin! First he finds an invitation in his turtle's bowl. Next he makes an escape--out the window, through the woods, across a river, and onto an island. And then he joins a grand celebration, with larger-than-life animals serving tea and dancing late into the night. And finally? After the journey back, he has a fantastic story to tell--the perfect way to make a friend.
A simple text and glorious illustrations combine to make a deceptively powerful and touching picture book, cementing Daniel Miyares's reputation as one of the most exciting children's book author-illustrators working today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a forbidding boarding school, at a long table under a chandelier, a boy eats alone while the other students chatter. In the dormitory, he lies awake while the others sleep. One night, his pet turtle escapes, leaving an invitation behind. The boy reads it, clambers out the window, and finds his turtle, who has grown large and carries the boy to a party hosted by animals who welcome him with cake and music. He returns at dawn with new confidence and stories to share. Keeping the text minimal ("Come in! Come in! You're just in time"), Miyares (That Neighbor Kid) concentrates on developing quiet visual drama. The rich paintings contain a succession of time-honored fairy tale elements: a gothic school, a hand-lettered map, a secret moonlit journey, and the peaceable kingdom the boy discovers among the creatures who welcome him including a golden-eyed owl, a bear, a fox, a goose, and a rabbit. Nighttime fantasy adventures often end with an "it was all a dream" moment, but this one lasts until the book is closed. There aren't any lessons or morals just the pleasure of watching a lonely boy find the friendship he wishes for. Ages 4 8.
