Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--Emberley's adorable catlike protagonist, who previously appeared in I Did It!, returns in another charming early reader installment, this time featuring their parent as they conquer nighttime fears of the dark. In matching pink-and-green striped catsuits, parent and child share a bedtime story when a city-wide blackout hits. A plaintive "too dark" leads the parent to gather all the stars from the sky to fill their child's room as night lights. When the moon cries out, bereft and afraid, the young hero finds courage to give the stars back. Emberley's art beautifully illustrates the main character's uncertainty in moody blues, transitioning to confidence with golden hues as they discover how to be brave for the moon. Fine pencil lines and vivid colors depict characters freely moving outside of the panel confines when needed, creating movement and smooth pacing. Dialogue text incorporates repetition and patterning to reinforce literacy skills, using contextual clues for vocabulary development. Young readers will relate to the anxiety of darkness and the comfort of a night light, shared story, and loving parent. VERDICT A richly imagined story to help children find balance when they are afraid, this is highly recommended for all collections.--Rachel Zuffa
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Review by Horn Book Review
Emberley's familiar pink-and-green-pajama-wearing creature (see Let's Go!, rev. 1/23, and others) returns for another imaginative early-reader-comic mini-adventure, this time with a parent in tow. It's bedtime, and after selecting a story (one that alludes to the author's father, Ed Emberley's, Go Away, Big Green Monster!), the pair is interrupted by a blackout. When the flashlight's batteries begin to die, the parent takes the next logical step: climb an impossibly long ladder to gather stars from the night sky. But there are unintended consequences: namely, a sobbing moon afraid of the now-pitch-black night. In a joyful double-page spread, parent and child selflessly release a murmuration of bird-like stars back into the sky, once again leaving themselves in the dark. Cleverly, the parent coaxes the child up to the apartment's roof to enjoy the illumination of the returned stars, allowing the pair to share their long-awaited bedtime story. Emberley's strict adherence to whimsical kid-logic, along with the little creature's repeated declarations ("Too dark!" / "Too bright!"), read as respectful of children's fears, while the ever-changing panel configurations and layouts add complexity to the reading experience. Special attention is given to the manipulation of color to produce lighting effects throughout the book from sources as varied as stars, flashlights, windows, and the moon. Imaginative play brightens up bedtime rituals in this funny and sincere comic perfectly pitched for emerging readers. Patrick GallMarch/April 2025 p.68 (c) Copyright 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
What to do when the lights go out? A lanky, striped creature with short dark hair, two thick stripy horns, a slender tail, and a carrot-stub nose begins to read a monster book to a small striped Mini-Me, who appeared in Emberley'sI Did It! (2022) andLet's Go! (2023). Suddenly the characters are plunged into darkness. It's a blackout. "Too dark!" says the little creature. The big one gropes for the flashlight, but its batteries are failing. Outside the window, the moon and stars shine. The big critter climbs an endless ladder, harvests stars in a bag, and releases them to light the room. "Too bright!" Sunglasses do the trick--but after the bedtime book is finished and the door closed, the sounds of sobbing wake the small sleeper: It's the moon, mourning a too-dark sky. The little one insists on putting the stars back, so the caregiver and child fling them out the window, keeping just one for the room. Still too dark! Finally, the pair climb to the roof and sleep under a million night lights. Devoid of streetlights, their cityscape seems like a fantasyland. This graphic novel for the youngest set features minimal text that's nevertheless steeped in meaning. Emberley balances relatable moments and adorable interactions with themes of problem-solving and appropriation versus sharing, while his deliciously quirky illustrations feature rich colors that elevate the cartoon-style characters. A truly stellar nighttime adventure.(Graphic early reader. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
