(1) K-3 Translated by polly Lawson. Awakened by their mother's voice and a sliver of light through their bedroom door, two children sleepily dress so they can "get there on time." Where they're going is a mystery for readers, but the family of four ventures eagerly into the dark within the immersive full-bleed double-page spreads. Some stark, some diffuse, and some barely visible white lights pierce the blue-hued night world as the family members make their way past darkened homes and a brightly lit hotel toward a star-encrusted horizon. Beyond the town, they see curled-up cows and a faraway train "slic[ing] through the darkness." The poetic, evocative text immerses readers in a nocturnal world; as the family finds its way through the woods, for example, "the bark smelled comforting." With urgency, yet in awe, the family stops to rendezvous with the moon's reflection upon the surface of a hidden pond and to lie back and gaze in wonder at the night sky. Painstaking line and graphite-pencil shading create depth and dimension for the various tree-lined, rocky, and mountainous terrains depicted along the way. At long last, the four gather atop a boulder to witness the break of dawn--that's where we were going. This hushed, intimate picture book creates a respite from the demands of the daytime world and pulls readers into a moment of pure wonder and peace.

Reviewer: Grace McKinney | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) PS Translated by Polly Lawson. Illustrated by Marit Törnqvist. A young child lies in bed, surrounded by a multitude of stuffed animals. All are carefully tucked in, the child in their bed; stuffies in doll beds, carriages, boxes, drawers, and shelves. It is a cozy scene, redolent with love and care and perfectly suited to the soothing tone of the text: "Come now little one, it's time to go to sleep. All the little children are tucked up in bed." The scene then moves outside, and viewers follow the family cat as it roams across open fields, woodlands, and hillsides past cows, sheep, and pigs, all bedding down in family groups. "In woodland and water, bushes and burrows," all the earth's creatures are falling asleep. The book closes back in the child's bedroom, where the roving cat has returned and is curled up next to the now-slumbering youngster. The light has changed from twilight to the dark blues of night, and the stuffed animals have slightly changed positions; they too have closed their eyes and succumbed to sleep. Törnqvist's soft and impressionistic full-bleed mixed-media paintings enfold viewers with love and security. Read this along with Margaret Wise Brown's The Big Red Barn--and even the most reluctant toddler will be lulled to sleep.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021