Children's Books about the Night

This is a very sweet tale about a little girl who lives in the city and can't get to sleep, so she decides to take her blanket and pillow to the rooftop. I love the whole "finding a restful place of one's own", which I think everyone has had to do at one time or another.

A simple story with a great science lesson about horseshoe crabs.

Who doesn't have a memory of chasing fireflies on a hot, summer night? A young boy is so proud of having caught a jar of fireflies, but soon realizes that you really can't hold onto moonlight forever.

There's classic children's literature, and then there's "Goodnight Moon."

A gorgeous book full of the author's wonderful paintings that are very reminiscent of M.C. Escher. The farmer stands on the porch and plays music to his field of sunflowers to send them off to sleep. Take a closer look — are, those sunflowers or are they ladies swaying back in forth in the breeze? Adults too will fall under the spell of this magical visual exploration.

The gorgeous illustrations sweep the reader into the beauty and perfection of a night in the country. A great before-bed book.

This beautifully illustrated book takes place in a single day of a little boy named Mark (Hmmm, the author's name is Mark). Mark is spending a summer day with his grandmother in New England. The author's vivid prose has the reader smelling the salt air and tasting the lobster rolls. Add a night-time boat ride to see the moonjellies shimmering in the water and this is book is a pleasant gentle bedtime read.

For years I've given "On the Day You Were Born" by Debra Frasier as a baby shower gift. "On the Night You Were Born" would also make a great gift for the new parents if their baby was born in the night.

One of the great charms of children is viewing a simple walk as a magical event, and this book evokes that feeling when a father takes his daughter out owling one cold winter night near the farm where they live. The book — a gentle-toned poem — touches on nature as well as father-daughter relationships, and the story's charming simplicity is sure to engage readers both young and young-at-heart.

Flashlight Worthy says:

This book was added to Leah's list based on the recommendation of Marny and Michael Kindness (and with a name like "Kindness", how could I refuse them?). Anyway, Marny and Michael say:

"You MUST, MUST, MUST include [this book.] It’s short, sweet and the illustrations are fantastic. We’ve read this at least once a week since my son was born!"