Review by Booklist Review
There are those who prefer the night and the wonders darkness holds, like stars, the color black, spiders, potion making, and graveyard tea parties. Others embrace the cheerful colors of sunlight, butterflies, and balloons of the daytime. Beatrice is cut of the dark-loving cloth and has trouble understanding her younger, sunny sister, Roo--and vice versa. The two share a bed and little else, but when Beatrice gets up one night to tiptoe to the attic, Roo cries out not to be left alone in the dark. Grasping her hand, Beatrice takes her sister upstairs and brews a Roo Potion that will help Roo like the dark. Likewise, when morning comes, Roo leads Beatrice outside and teaches her a song to help her like the daytime. While neither loves her sister's realm, both gain an appreciation for it and one another. Le's detailed paintings hold all the magic and wonder the girls feel for their respective surroundings, playing with light and shadow in fantastic ways. A lovely testament to sisterhood and beauty found in all the world's corners.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
An instance of compassion prompts two siblings to overcome their emotional distance in Tucholke's gothic-inflected picture book debut. "Beatrice likes the dark dark dark/ and the dark dark dark likes her," reads incantatory prose as readers see the black-clad girl picnicking in a graveyard and savoring the hush and creatures of starry nights. Rust-clad sibling Roo is the exact opposite, preferring "sunshine and birthday parties and smashing crashing/ blasting noises and wearing pink and red and purple." When Beatrice creates a potion one night that makes Roo less afraid of the dark, Roo teaches Beatrice a song to mitigate the sensory overload she feels during the day. Le's earth-toned art revels in fairy tale romanticism as the two protagonists, portrayed with pale skin and blond hair, discover that, without changing their fundamental preferences, "they can love each other, all the same." Ages 4--8. (Sept.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
Beatrice loves the dark and wearing black, while her younger sister, Roo, prefers the light and wearing "pink and red and purple." They're polar opposites who don't understand each other, but after they each dream about the other one night, Beatrice leads Roo to their farmhouse attic to make a "Roo Potion" to help her enjoy the dark, and the next morning Roo teaches Beatrice a song to "help her like the light." This story of sibling appreciation relies on repetition ("Beatrice likes the night night night and the night night night likes her") to create narrative rhythm and a little mystery, and the bewitching ethereal illustrations set a Halloween mood. Cynthia K. Ritter September/October 2022 p.46(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Sisters who are opposites may help readers find ways to feel comfortable out of their comfort zones…if they have the support of their siblings. While most children will not feel the same way Beatrice does about the dark, spiders, quiet, and picnics in graveyards, they will understand her love for those things and her confusion when faced with their opposites--sunny days and loud things and talking, all things her younger sister, Roo, loves. Tucholke presents each sister's preferences in a way that will have readers empathizing with both and wondering how they will ever get along. But in the end, a sisterly hand in the dark of night, a potion to help Roo appreciate the dark, and a song to help Beatrice learn to enjoy the light bring the two together. They don't suddenly change their likes and dislikes, "but they can love each other, all the same." Thrice repeated words in a font that increases in size weave a spell over readers and emphasize mood. For instance, Beatrice doesn't understand "why some things are so bright bright bright and so loud loud loud." Le's artwork masterfully uses color to set the mood: deep background colors, black, and orange and red highlights for Beatrice's pages; white or light blue backgrounds and bright colors filling Roo's pages; and a blend of the two when the sisters come together. Both sisters are light-skinned with light hair. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A sweet tale of sisterly differences and love. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
