The Way Home in the Night

A mother rabbit and her young bunny are on their way home in the dark night. "My mother carries me through the quiet streets," the bunny explains. "Most of our neighbors are already home." The bunny can see their lights in the windows, and hear and smell what they might be doing: talking on the phone, pulling a pie out of the oven, having a party, saying goodbye. When they reach home, the father rabbit tucks the bunny into bed. But the bunny continues to wonder about the neighbors' activities. "Are the party guests saying goodnight? Is the person on the phone getting ready for bed?" And what of the footsteps that can be heard in the street as the bunny falls asleep? "Will she take the last train home?"This beautiful picture book captures the magical wonder a child feels at being outside in the night. Award-winning author and illustrator Akiko Miyakoshi's softly focused black-and-white illustrations with just a touch of neutral color have a dreamlike quality, just right for nodding off to sleep with. The book is intriguing in that it contains twice-told stories, once as they are observed and second as the bunny imagines them. This offers a perfect prompt for young children to create extensions of other stories they have read or heard. A deeper reading could encourage critical thinking by comparing the different pastimes of the neighbors or, ultimately, what it means to be home.

Author: Akiko Miyakoshi
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Published: 04/04/2017
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 10.30h x 8.30w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9781771386630
Audience: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 1.8
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 187926 / Way Home in the Night


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 02/06/2017
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2017 pg. 118
School Library Journal 03/01/2017 pg. 109
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2017 pg. 111
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2017 pg. 17 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Akiko Miyakoshi was born in Saitama, on the island of Honshu in Japan. She began creating picture books while studying visual communication design at Musashino Art University. Her first picture book, The Storm, won the Nissan Children's Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix.

Akiko Miyakoshi was born in Saitama, on the island of Honshu in Japan. She began creating picture books while studying visual communication design at Musashino Art University. Her first picture book, The Storm, won the Nissan Children's Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix.