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Review by Valerie Kordowski
Let's face it -- we're all children when the fireworks go off. Everybody says "ooh" and "aah" at the sound of the zooms and the booms. And fireworks time is here. On this Fourth of July, people of all ages will go to a special destination and crane their necks to see sparkling lights of color. But what would fireworks be without the darkness of night to show off their fine display?
In "The Night Journey," a father opens his son's eyes to the wonders of night.
"But what can we see in the dark?" asks Nicky.
"Something very special," says Dad.
And readers will too in this large, pull-tab book as Nicky and his dad travel on a nighttime car adventure. They begin under an umbrella of twinkling stars and a half moon; they ride through dark woods and see the blinking eyes of an owl perched on a nearby tree; they see people around a blazing campfire.
Nicky thinks the special destination is the city as he and Dad travel by the flashing lights of nightlife and see people laughing, eating and dancing while street musicians play.
At last they see children and adults racing to get the best view in town of "sparkling, glittering, twinkling lights" bursting in the sky.
"Wow!" says Nicky. "Fireworks."
"The Night Journey" is lots of fun for preschoolers. The 12-page, hardcover book uses few words to get its message across. Through its artwork of night scenes and clever use of easily manipulated pull tabs, a child is able to transform illustrations from dark to light. The tabs win over the child's attention to the story, and they emphasize the contrast of light and dark. Children also get a positive view of things of the night -- no ghosts or vampires here.
On this Fourth of July take the family to see the local fireworks, and then take them along with Nicky and his dad for a nighttime adventure in "The Night Journey."
Valerie Kordowski is a reviewer and mother of a three-year-old in Nashville, Tennessee.
©1997, ProMotion, inc.
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