FICTION

Hannah's Night

by Komako SAKAI
tr. from Japanese by Cathy Hirano. illus. by Komako Sakai. 32p. Gecko Press. Apr. 2014. Tr $17.95. ISBN 9781877579547; pap. ISBN 9781877579554.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1—The wee hours of the morning take on a magical quality in this pitch-perfect picture book. A preschooler wakes in the night to find that her sister and parents are asleep, so she tours the house accompanied by her cat, Shiro. She indulges in illicit thrills, like eating some cherries "without asking" and borrowing her sister's drawing paper and pencils. Balancing the forbidden with a sense of safety and comfort, this understated book, originally published in Japan, hits just the right note for preschoolers. Spare text perfectly complements the hazy, scratchy, blue-tinged illustrations that slowly expand to capture Hannah's hushed reverence for the night.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD
Toddler Hannah wakes up in the middle of the night to a "day" full of surprises: with the rest of her family asleep, she is free to raid the fridge and borrow her sister's best stuff. The brief text telegraphs Hannah's exhilaration; the illustrations, in dark blues, purples, and pinks, are contained inside softly rounded borders, giving readers a sense of safety and security.
What an enticing opening for a picture book: "One day when Hannah woke up, she was surprised to find that it was still dark." Hannah's day holds all sorts of surprises -- because it's still the middle of the night. Everyone else is asleep, so she raids the fridge -- some cherries for herself and some milk for her cat Shiro -- and "nobody told her off." Emboldened, Hannah gleefully borrows all her sound-asleep sister's best stuff and takes it back to her own bed to play with. The brief text clearly telegraphs the freedom Hannah feels; the small scope of her challenges to the daytime rules (plus the constant company of Shiro) keeps the adventure toddler-sized. Sakai (Emily's Balloon,
Reviewed by Kathleen Kelly MacMillan , Apr 01, 2014

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