In the Night Garden
by Carin Berger; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    Porter/Holiday    40 pp.
7/23    9780823449866    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780823455379    $11.99

Berger’s (Finding Spring, rev. 1/15) soothing, rhythmic text guides readers through the wonders of a garden at night, directly addressing them in hushed tones: “If you are very patient and very lucky / you might catch a glimpse of a shooting star.” Those stars, bats, the ever-changing moon, and the not-so-scary-after-all foxes and wind appear in intricate cut-paper collages composed of “found ephemera and scraps of paper, including ticket stubs, receipts, and ancient ledger books.” Berger’s attention to detail in the art, alongside her sophisticated and accessible text, creates a magical nighttime world. This spellbinding picture book will undoubtedly hold children in that glorious tension between wide-eyed curiosity and heavy-lidded drowsiness before they drift off to sleep.

From the July/August 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.