Review by Booklist Review
Snail, Rolly, and their friends are back in a new Tiny Tales adventure. Firefly encourages the gang to stay up late with him and watch the moonflower bloom. Together they encounter night sounds they've never heard before, use Firefly's bioluminescence to turn spooky shadows into fun shadow puppets, and see the reflection of twinkling stars in the river. Even if they aren't able to stay awake long enough to see the moonflower bloom, they spend quality time together and discover new things about the world around them--including Firefly, who now sees the darkness in new ways. The book opens with an explanation of how to read comics and the layout of the story does a good job of following that template, making it easy for new comics readers to understand the book. The art is clear and colorful with characters that pop, even against the deep purple backgrounds of night scenes. The back matter includes information about fireflies. A sweet example of the journey being more important than the destination.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--As the sun sets in the forest, Firefly's bioluminescence burns bright and so does his enthusiasm to share the wonders of nighttime life. With drooping eye stalks, Snail, Rolly, and the rest of their creepy-crawly cohort sleepily embark on a quest with Firefly to see the moonflower bloom. Ever the nocturnal hype man, Firefly eagerly tells his day-dwelling friends all about the unfamiliar--and sometimes frightening--sounds of the darkness. The group of gastropods and insects play a silly game of shadow puppets and find the croaks and chirps of the night soothing after Firefly's reassurances. So soothing, in fact, that sleep threatens to set in. Will they keep their peepers open long enough to see the moonflower bloom? Perhaps it was more about the adventure along the way. This third installment in Waldo's "Tiny Tales" early comic series will encourage emerging readers to notice the marvelous in the everyday--with a big dose of humor to boot. VERDICT A tiny tale that teaches a big lesson: often the journey has more value than the destination.--Sarah Simpson
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An intrepid firefly tries to show its sleepy diurnal friends the beauty of the night. A group of creatures, including a ladybug, a roly-poly, a snail, and a couple of slugs, watch the sunset. Firefly shows up and encourages the others to stay up late to see the moonflower bloom. "Bedtime can wait," they decide as Firefly leads them through the forest. At first, they startle at the nighttime sounds of owls and frogs but soon find them soothing, like a lullaby. "I never thought of it that way before," muses Firefly. Later, Firefly uses its flash to help turn unexpected and seemingly frightening shadows into playful shadow puppets. But will they make it to the moonflower in time? Maybe not, but what really matters is that these pals have spent time together. Even better, Firefly has learned to see nighttime in a whole new light. As in Tiny Tales: Shell Quest (2021), Waldo makes her cast of creepy-crawlies downright endearing; fans will recognize the snail and the slugs from her previous title. The colorful creatures pop effectively against the deep purples of the night. With just a few panels per page and a limited word count, this short comic will please comics newbies; those in need of some guidance will appreciate the brief explanation of how to read a comic. An exciting, friendship-filled nighttime romp. (information on fireflies and lightning bugs) (Graphic early reader. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
