Dark on Light

4.5

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Author(s)

Dianne White

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Felicita Sala

Publisher

Beach lane Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

December 06, 2022

ISBN

978-1534487895

Buy This Book

As the sun sets, three siblings discover nature’s nighttime beauty in this soothingly rhythmic and gorgeously illustrated bedtime picture book from the acclaimed author-illustrator team behind Green on Green.

Gentle the evening. Sweeping the skies.
Dark the shadows as twilight arrives.
Rose the horizon, gleaming and bright.
Twilight and evening and dark on light.

When the family dog trots away from the house at sunset, three siblings tumble out the door to go find him. Soon they find themselves immersed in the luminous colors, shades, and shadows of nature at night—both dark and light. They wander through moonlit lavender meadows, past a timid fawn, beneath a snowy white owl, and much, much more as the night deepens until, at last, they find their sneaky pup.

With beautiful illustrations by Felicita Sala and lyrical text by Dianne White that’s perfect for reading aloud, this book invites young readers to step into the wondrous, colorful nighttime natural world.

Editor review

1 review

lyrical picture book

December 20, 2022

Overall rating

4.5

Plot

4.0

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

N/A

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

DARK ON LIGHT is a lyrical book about the majesty of night. The book is written in a poem of phrases as children make a journey through the night and the woods all the way back home and into bed.

What I loved: This is a soft and lyrical book that brings the children through the night and nature all the way back to their beds for sleep. With the short phrases and repeated refrains, it has a great and soothing rhythm, which is great for bedtime reads. The muted colors and dark imagery also work well for nighttime, and the font is written clearly throughout to compliment the scheme but keep it readable even in low light.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, the plot will not be very clear for the youngest readers who will be enjoying this book. The poem does not give the plot away, and the synopsis summarizes and explains it more than the story does (such as that the children are going out after their dog), which is tough for this young audience, who needs things a bit clearer and more explained.

Final verdict: DARK ON LIGHT is a lush and lyrical story that celebrates night and nature. This picture book will work well for preschoolers and elementary school aged readers.