Picture Book of the Day: The Night World

The Night World, written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein.  According to an author's note, the Caldecott winner (The Man Who Walked Between the Towers) based this wondrous book on an experience he had as a four year old startled by how different the world looked at night, all dark shadows and "strange silvery shapes."  His fantastic illustrations, done in acrylics, pen and ink, and colored pencil, capture this experience quite effectively as a boy follows the orders of his cat Sylvie, who wakes him up and then leads him through a sleepy house and into the backyard.  Grays and blacks fill the page for a great stretch of the book, with Sylvie's green eyes making a striking impression.  Gerstein turns this into a total sensory experience--you feel the wet grass and the warm sweet air.  I love the questions the boy asks:  "Are these shadows roses?"   Meanwhile, shadows of animals like porcupines and rabbits appear, telling the child that something cool is coming.  And then Gerstein gives us a beautiful sight:  colors fill the page as a sunrise appears, causing the nocturnal animals to run away and the boy to experience total wonder.  A charmer from a masterful artist.