ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT

This book won’t put an end to children’s fear of the dark, but it’s a good start.

Nighttime looks almost joyous in this picture book devoted to the work that happens when the sun goes down. The sky is a different color on every page—sometimes blue-green, like the sea, other times a duskier blue, dotted with birds and stars. The city streets are filled with diverse workers performing acts of kindness. Luigi, a light-skinned baker, is making warm pastries for people’s breakfasts; Fiona, a light-skinned midwife, helps deliver babies. This reassuring tale also calls attention to people who might be overlooked. Dylan and Ruby, brown-skinned and light-skinned, stock the shelves at the supermarket. Eva, light-skinned, sells groceries, doughnuts, and coffee all night long. Brown-skinned Lem “plays their saxophone in a band.” However, an especially rosy depiction of law enforcement—Hassan and Amina, a brown-skinned pair of police officers, are called about a noise in the street but find it’s only a family of foxes—may raise eyebrows. The book is narrated by a brown-skinned child whose brown-skinned mother, readers learn, is a late-night bus driver. If the story has a fault, it’s that it may be too gentle. There’s so little conflict that, at times, there’s almost no story. But children who get anxious at bedtime—especially those affected by the news—may appreciate the calmness of the text and the wonderfully busy paintings, with a worker in every corner. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A comforting bedtime story, especially if parents are heading out to work.