NIGHT ON THE SAND

When a nature-based calamity befalls a pair of young brothers, the boys find refuge and community among sandy shores.

Images of happier times adorn the title and copyright pages: a birthday party, a snuggle on a couch. Turn the page, and a catastrophe emerges with “a howl, / a dark whirl of wind and power.” Snapshots of destruction—homes destroyed, a fallen roof—follow. Bruised purples and deep reds bleed across the artwork, a solemn, breathtaking portrait of ruin. It’s now night, and the brothers can’t find their parents. Covering their shoulders with a blanket, the children walk “one foot in front of the other,” away from the destruction behind them. They arrive at a beach, where they lie down; others slumber near them, “strewn on the shore like shells, / like rocks, like driftwood.” Morning comes, bringing with it soothing light. Hunger pulls the brothers out of their thoughts and toward a fire, where others gather. With the calm waves at their feet, the survivors huddle near the fire, waiting until help breaks through the horizon. This painful yet hopeful tale renders its difficult subject matter palpable. Mayper’s decision to omit specific context from this tale—in, as she describes in an author’s note, a move toward “our human connection"—proves sensible thanks to evocative text that allows readers to fill in the details. Similarly, the artwork delineates moods and emotions via a precise, rich palette that favors visceral landscapes and nondescript characters to its advantage. Characters are dark-haired and light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Powerfully compelling.