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At Night

A small girl lies awake while the rest of her family sleeps, listening to the sound of their breathing until a breeze calls her out of bed and up to the roof of her building. Looking out at the city and thinking about what lies beyond, “She looked up, breathed, closed her eyes . . . and slept.” Illustrator Jonathan Bean makes his first foray into writing with a picture book that is intimate in feel and expansive in scope as a child draws comfort from the wider world around her. The changing pace of his skillful narrative suggests both the unease of lying awake and the lull of the breeze the child finds so enticing. Soothing as a lullaby, Bean’s story is enriched by warm illustrations that offer rich details of the child’s home and family, as well as tender reassurance in the presence of her mother, who has awoken and follows the girl, unnoticed, on her nighttime foray. Honor Book, 2008 Charlotte Zolotow Award ©2008 Cooperative Children's Book Center

Illustrated by Jonathan Bean

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 3-7
Age Range: Babies/Toddlers (birth – 3) PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: City Life Independence/Self-Reliance Nighttime

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Publish Year: 2007
Pages: 32
ISBN: 0374304467

CCBC Location: Picture Book, Bean

At Night