"Welcome to the night!" cries the opening poem in this celebration of nocturnal life. Everything from snails to mushrooms has a role to play and something different to say (the title is taken from a concrete poem about a horned owl, narrated by its would-be prey: "Perched missile,/ almost invisible, you/ preen silent feathers,/ swivel your sleek satellite/ dish of a head"). Spiders offer advice, porcupettes pirouette, and the moon laments the dawn, all illuminated by debut talent Allen's detailed yet moody prints, which encapsulate the mysteries and magic of the midnight hours. Opposite each poem is a short note on the featured creature, explaining its appearance and habits. In Sidman's delicious poems, darkness is the norm, and there's nothing to fear but the rising sun. Ages 6-9. (Sept.)

"Allen's detailed yet moody prints encapsulate the mysteries and magic of the midnight hours. In Sidman's delicious poems, darkness is the norm, and there's nothing to fear but the rising sun."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This is a fine collection for classroom use at any time, but it'll bring extra impact to those who can find a way to share it at dusk with the lights dimmed, watching through the windows as the nocturnal ballet begins outside."—The Bulletin, starred review

"This picture book combines lyrical poetry and compelling art with science concepts."—Booklist, starred review

"The dark lines of Allen's skillful lino cut prints make the perfect accompaniment to a book of night poems, with their subtle colors allowing the reader to seek out the creatures slowly, just as one's eye becomes accustomed to finding things in the dark."—The Horn Book, starred review

"The bookmaking is beautiful with the concept of night lending itself generously to poetry. "—School Library Journal

With "Welcome to the Night," the first of twelve deftly crafted and both visually and emotionally evocative poems, Sidman begins a journey from dusk to dawn. Through a variety of verse forms, from rhymes with refrains and free verse to concrete poetry, we encounter places and creatures in action in the dark of night. Each: raccoon, snail, moth, owl, trees, spiders, porcupines, crickets, mushrooms, bats, and moon, tells its nighttime story on one side of the double page with vignette illustration. Across the gutter along with the full page illustration comes a sidebar of factual information on the subject. On the final wordless page, the sun rises over the forest for a new day. This scene is the same one that begins the nocturnal adventure, but here the owl that was in flight now rests on a quiet branch, while the corner of the house on the side formerly glowing in the sunset now takes on a bish tone in the early orange sunlight. Allen's striking illustrations are produced in relief printing, a complex process described in detail on the copyright page. They retain considerable black to shape the flora and fauna, leaving sufficient space for the intense colors printed from additional wood blocks. Although naturalistic, they convey the emotional quality of the poems. There is a glossary of terms included. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Gr 3–6—Myra Lucretia Taylor expressively reads Joyce Sidman's lush verse (Houghton Mifflin, 2010) in a warm and soothing voice that adds to the poems' nocturnal mood. She subtly differentiates between the poems and the narratives that are interspersed between them. Listeners are first drawn in by the lyrical "Welcome to the Night," which is followed by an introduction to the nocturnal world and to the raccoon's adaptations that make it a successful night hunter. In each of the following ten poems, an animal or plant is introduced and its night habits are explored in a variety of poetic forms. Then, in a brief prose paragraph, additional information about the night dweller and new vocabulary are presented. For example, after "Crickets Speak," we are told about the mechanics of stridulation—producing a shrill sound by rubbing body parts together. Listeners learn how snails build their shell, what a porcupette is and how it grows, how orb spiders spin webs, how owls hunt their prey, and much more. Finally, "Moon's Lament" closes the nighttime tour. The book's glossary is not included in the recording. The Newbery Honor book's gorgeous, detailed linoleum print illustrations by Rick Allen are as beautiful as the poems, so be sure to have it available to use in tandem with the recording. The second track includes page-turning signals. The expressive, engaging poems and the rich and interesting factual information will attract students interested in nature as well as poetry.—MaryAnn Karre, Horace Mann and Thomas Jefferson Schools, Binghamton, NY