Review by Booklist Review
In this enchanting bedtime story, double-page spreads in full color celebrate the glory of the deep azure firmament. Just as she did in Tap the Magic Tree (2013), Matheson encourages children to interact with each page to make the magic. They can press the firefly, blow a breeze, wish on a star, and swipe a streaking meteor. They whisper to the moon and call whoo to make the owls come out. Little ones can close their eyes, nod their sleepy heads, and settle in for a quiet night's rest as shhhhh the sky turns black. At book's end, another magical day begins with sunrise. Back matter gives details about the Big Dipper, stars, meteors, and some nocturnal creatures. Executed in collage, the art features shiny silver stars, wide-eyed owls, and soft silhouettes to stand out over a gorgeous palette of blues, soft pinks, and white. This is a quiet paean to the beauty and mystery of night, when creatures emerge and the moon and stars take center stage.--Gepson, Lolly Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Matheson follows up her Tap the Magic Tree (Greenwillow, 2013) with a sunset to sunrise journey through the nighttime sky. As before, readers are invited to interact with the story using a motion, thought, or words that provoke a change with every turn of the page. First fireflies, a deer, stars, and constellations appear, then a full moon and owls take their turn. All is finally still until the first light of dawn, when the magic of the day returns. The simple text is engaging and conversational and little ones responding to each prompt are not likely to be distracted by the occasional faulty rhyme. The mixed-media collage art features a palette of blues as gentle and warm as a summer evening. Full-page illustrations evoke the expanse of space while the nearly transparent earthly creatures enhance the peaceful ambiance of this magical reading experience. Those who are interested in the science behind the magic will enjoy the final page, which provides some basic information about the nocturnal world depicted. VERDICT A charming bedtime story.-Lynn Van Auken, Oak Bluffs School, Oak Bluffs, MA (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
The little bluebird from Tap the Magic Tree (rev. 1/14) flies across the first double-page spread as sunset falls: Magic happens every night. / First wave good-bye to the suns bright light. In the spacious collage illustrations, swaths of pink and purple streak across the bottom of the page, shading to darker blue at the top, and a birch tree stands off to the far left. Turn the page and the reader is instructed to gently press the firefly -- and on the next spread, the firefly is lit up in the illustration while a deer peeks in from the right outer margin. As in the previous book, Matheson gives readers actions to take for each page, from swipe the sky, which is followed on the page turn by a picture of a meteor, to rub the owls, which have settled on the birch tree, on their heads. She introduces the Big and Little dippers, and at the end the bluebird returns to the tree, and the flowers -- closed up tight throughout -- open up at sunrise. With the constant, comforting tree and the highlighted changes happening nearby, this exploration of the world at night should be inviting to even the very youngest children, who will also enjoy its imagination-fueled and child-powered interactivity. Its cyclical quality will send them back to the beginning again to pass through another gentle, never scary, nighttime. A closing page gives brief scientific explanations of some of the books sights. susan dove lempke (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A nocturnal companion to Matheson's Tap the Magic Tree (2013), this interactive picture book illuminates nighttime's wonders while shepherding readers toward sleep. Dusk falls in waves of pink, blue and purple watercolor; lightning bugs glow, stars twinkle and fall, deer skedaddle, constellations shineall with the touch of young readers' fingers. Rhymes offer clear instructions: "Now let's blow a quiet breeze. // Pat the deer / and say goodnight, please." An implicit sense of power (and even a hint of magic) follows each page turn, imbuing these soft, simple collages with a quavering excitement. With a whisper, the moon appears in the (now) very dark skya signal that it's getting to be time for owls to go to bed and probably past time for little readers. A soothing, somnolent narrative voice nudges, "Close your eyes and breathe in deeply. / Nod your head if you feel sleepy." Caregivers will surely appreciate the suggestion, as well as the gentle lesson in preparing for and accepting sleep. More learning lies on the final page, which delivers a glossary that offers rich information about the nighttime occurrences, animals and plants featured earlier. A delightful bedtime book that encourages both imaginative play and restorative rest. (Picture book. 2-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
