In the Hush of the Evening - Hardcover

Graff, Nancy Price

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060220996 ISBN 13: 9780060220990

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1998

Synopsis

A boy witnesses the gentle arrival of nighttime and its accompanying symphony of sounds, in a lyrical storybook, illustrated with gentle, evocative paintings, designed for reading at bedtime.

About this title

From Kirkus Reviews:

An absorbing poem to night speaks to the acuity of hearing that comes when a blanket of darkness falls across the landscape. All the sounds that closed eyes conjure are heard herea whippoorwill in a tree, the ``breep, breep'' of garden crickets, a bat's wings swishing past the window screen, even the ``pip, pip'' of an attic mouse on the prowl. A boy at bedtime does not miss a single utterance from his reverential night vigil at the window sill. Raccoons rattle the lids of garbage cans, a church bell tolls, and an owl whispers, ``Who's there?'' ``I am'' answers the boy, in his effort to be a part of nature's nocturnal symphony. Karas chooses a dark palettewhich grows darker as night descendsfor his tilted forms and shapes, while the boy's connection to nature is depicted with subtle reminders of his presencea cork boat with a toothpick mast and sugar-packet sail floats near ``the lip of the pond,'' where the bullfrogs sing; an empty jar and net form a statue in a blinking field of fireflies. Children worried by night noises may find a comforting antidote in the whispered lines of poetry, but the softly-lit images will also dispel the shadows of the imagination. (Picture book. 2-5) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-K?In rhythmic verse, this gentle story describes the beauty of nightfall. A young boy and his mother watch from his bedroom window as the world gradually darkens. He listens for the familiar night noises and hears the singing of the whippoorwill, the "breep" of the cricket, the swelling of the frogs' chorus, the swish of bats flying by, and the hoot of the owl when the sky is finally pitch dark. Now the evening ritual is complete and the child is ready for bed. His mother tucks him in and wishes him "sweet dreams." The softly colored and deeply shadowed full- and double-page illustrations flow as rhythmically as the text, adding to the quiet mood. The book is perfect for helping children settle down after a busy day. It's a great choice for those who are ready to move beyond Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon (HarperCollins, 1947) or Minfong Ho's Hush, a Thai Lullaby (Orchard, 1996).?Virginia Golodetz, Children's Literature New England, Burlington, VT
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0060220996
• ISBN 13: 9780060220990
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32