the ninja climbed
and clambered.
Step by step,
he balanced
and leapt.
The house
was silent.
Everyone
was asleep."
I can just see all the ninja warriors skulking around the house in the dark, while everyone else in the house sleeps, after reading this debut illustrated book. I promise that you will be asked to read it again and again...and you will want to do just that!
Oh, I love the language chosen for this telling! It is precise and brief, using only those words needed to create an imaginative middle-of-the-night adventure. This ninja climbs and clambers, balances and leaps, creeps and kneels, always listening for an unfamiliar sound. As he does, he is stealth and intent on his destination. He avoids all pitfalls, gets out the tools needed to complete his mission. Suddenly, and to his great surprise, he is caught (spoon and ice cream container in hand) by his thundering mother who wonders what he's doing. His mission incomplete, he is disappointed. His mother has a totally different mission in mind....good night, Nighttime Ninja!
The tension builds with every move the ninja makes. Ed Young creates remarkable collage artwork using cut paper, textured cloth, string and colored pencil to keep the suspense building on each and every page. He borders his images to show readers the furtive moves the ninja makes, using all of his skills and avoiding the many obstacles in his path. The cover is a most persuasive invitation, and the tactile feel of the bamboo leaves add to the allure. The endpapers show a ninja in a hand-to-hand struggle with a grappling line and the vertical turn of the title page make all who share this book a part of the upcoming action. Wonderful! Don't miss the final image of spoon and melting chocolate ice cream beside a child-like drawing of a ninja hero.
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