Shadow Night - Hardcover

PreS-Gr 1-Tucked into bed, James notices that when a breeze blows the curtains, they create shadows on the wall that look like monsters. His parents reassure him by showing him how to make shadow puppets and tell him a bedtime story, not a scary one, using shadow puppets. Chorao creates a "stage" by framing the shadow play in white squares surrounded by an outline. The story is further animated by illustrations below the white frames that parallel the telling of the tale. After the child is back in bed, he is once again afraid to be in the dark, until he puts his whole self to the light and makes a great big shadow monster, and then copies all of the characters his parents used in the story. Confident and fearless, he unties the curtains and lets them "flip-flap" in the wind. Readers will see how to make a snail, spider, bird, goose, dog, alligator, and elephant with a patch of light and their hands. Perceptive children will also see shadows created by many objects in James's room, such as his stuffed animals, dresser, and bookcase. Chorao's combination of cheerful illustrations and text results in a flawless blend for a bedtime read-aloud. The large-scale art and spare wording also make this story appropriate for storytimes. A successful approach to addressing a child's fear of nighttime and scary shadows that appear in the dark.-Olga R. Kuharets, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, NC

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