GWENDOLYN AND THE LIGHT

Seeking friendship, a nocturnal animal sets out in a rowboat, following a bright light in the sky.

“In a night forest by the sea, the moon had the stars, the trees had the breeze, but Gwendolyn was all alone.” Gwendolyn, a big-eyed, yellow teddy bear–like creature, asks what it’s like to have a friend. As stylized blue-tinted trees sway against a lavender night sky, more poetic prose ensues: “As bright as all the stars,” the moon responds. “As warm as a summer breeze,” the trees reply. One evening, Gwendolyn awakens earlier than usual and sees a light that little ones may realize is the sun. She attempts to greet this new friend, but the light begins to fade. As she sets off in her little white rowboat, the sky turns purple with the sunset; Gwendolyn counts the stars as she attempts to reach this potential friend. After she gets to two, a bird shows up. Gwendolyn misinterprets its chirps (“Twee!”) as an attempt to say the number three—a bit of age-appropriate preschool humor that recurs throughout. Gwendolyn shares a biscuit with the bird, endures a storm, and, after it subsides, tearfully tries to reunite with her new pal. Yoon’s dreamy, lulling text is matched by Weber’s textural, otherworldly art; readers will feel Gwendolyn’s sorrows and triumphs right alongside her.

A superior experience for nap or bedtime.