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Sunday, September 22, 2019

In The Sky At Nighttime, written by Laura Deal and illustrated by Tamara Campeau. Inhabit Media, Fitzhenry & Whiteside. 2019. $16.95 ages 3 and up

"In the sky at nighttime,
a raven roosts atop a
tall building.

Calling out through the
dark,
he tells others of his find.

In the sky at nighttime,
a mother's delicate song
to her child rises
like a gentle breeze."

This sky at nighttime that seeks to calm little ones as they drift off to sleep is a northern one. Inuit children delight in the darkness that surrounds them as they use their senses to see, hear, and touch the many wonders of a dark landscape. The air is cold, and alive with snowflakes. The Aurora Borealis dance and swirl to their great wonder. The clear night affords a bright, starry sky.

As the lights dance overhead, a hunter's snowmobile beams his own light across the frozen ground while seals gleefully watch him return home. The moon lights the ground as a family makes their way on crunchy snow. The raven calls from a high perch. A mother sings a lullaby before putting her baby to bed, with stuffed toys that include a polar bear, a seal, and a rabbit.

The repeated 'sky at nighttime'  theme brings the sense of calm needed when sleep is near. The illustrations are stunning. They blend old with new in this small northern town. The setting is filled with the bold colors and beauty of the north. There is a deep quiet about it all. Perfect for bedtime reading.

Inhabit Media continues to publish books that honor the north, its inhabitants and its natural beauty. Imagine the delight for children seeing themselves in books, perhaps for the first time! Well done.

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