Published by Neal Porter Books

Summary:  “In the night garden, you can lie on the cool grass and look up to the millions and trillions of stars.”  A girl in the night garden gazes at the sky as the text takes the reader on a tour.  You might see or hear animals like a cat on a roof, a bat swooping through the air, or a fox leading her sleepy cubs home.  The moon may be a tiny sliver or a giant harvest moon. The sounds of crickets, bullfrogs, and the wind will lull you to sleep; the last page shows the girl tucked into bed.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A beautiful bedtime story with amazing collage illustrations, each one of which would be suitable for framing and displaying as a stand-alone work of art.  I’m adding this to my Caldecott contender list.

Cons:  As I prepare for my annual Caldecott vote at school, I wish there were more contenders that tell an engaging story for my second- and third-grade listeners.