Night of the Gargoyles

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They visit the museum, fly (if they have wings) straight up into the sky, splash in the fountain, scare people passing by, and talk of what they’ve seen and felt (the sun burning them, the rain pouring down on them, and the birds that perch on them that leave behind stains). After reading through the book, which was also illustrated by David Weisner, the author of award winning books such as Tuesday(1992) I was pleasantly surprised to find a creepy and somewhat humorous book. When Jake wakes up at midnight, strange shapes loom large and frightening sounds are everywhere, but the reassuring appearance of his parents sets everything right. In a starred review of this 1995 Caldecott winner, PW praised the ""thought-provoking"" and ""thoroughly believable"" text, about urban violence, and the ""dazzling"" mixed-media collages.

Bunting (Smoky Night) seems to look toward Hans Christian Andersen with this oblique--if not to say weird--allegory about a swan enamored of a swan-shaped boat. and end up going down nostalgia lane with books I adored as a young child and then lost to time and memory. It highlighted the pockmarked concrete that they are made of, it brought their empty, unblinking eyes and hard, stone bodies to life. Bunting's (Blackwater) latest tale sets up readers for an intergalactic adventure, yet never gets off the ground.

If a teacher can efficiently explain it to their students, it is possible for a 2nd grader to understand, but the scary tone of the book might be a little much.

As an admirer of both of these picture book creators, I was eager to track down this beautiful but fearsome title, which, although it is not explicitly a Halloween tale, was done in honor of the season. On the first night of Hanukkah every year, Grandma recites her experience as a 12-year-old in Buchenwald, when she risked her life to steal a potato and margarine to improvise one Hanukkah light. When Carson takes his dog, Jack, to the vet, she informs them that Jack is too fat: "He needs less food and no snacks!Our children really enjoyed making clay gargoyles too – based on the work of The Gargoyle Guy (see Youtube). I can see how the book might be a little too scary for some children, but my daughter seems to find it "just right," as do I. The impish creatures that I knew as a child (I KNEW) would come to life at night---then I forgot the title. Spooky things happen, but the truth is the gargoyles are irritated by how hot the stone gets during the day and the annoying birds that perch upon them. Bunting (Smoky Night) features two badgers walking along a forest path at sunset in the opening shot of this somewhat plodding intergenerational tale.

I also like that there aren’t too many words in the book so it really puts the emphasis on the images. So begins the poetic narrative of this striking picture book from author Eve Bunting and illustrator David Wiesner. The latest in the series of Bunting's holiday books, this places the story of the Pilgrims in contemporary times.

A nostalgic look at life in a Belfast boarding school during WWII sweetens the impact of this heartfelt examination of the meaning of loyalty. Many versions are sketched and revised until the story line flows smoothly and each image works the way he wants it to. Two green eyes shine in the night sky and someone whispers, ""I peer outside, there's something there/ that makes me shiver, spikes my hair. Enjoyed this collaboration of two well-known authors as they step out on a limb and create a unique and eery story.

Mama Elephant advises Little Elephant to "tweak twice," by pulling on her tail, if she has any questions while they go for a walk. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. A contemporary Italian-American family living in New York City makes its annual pilgrimage to Liberty Island to celebrate the birthday of the Statue of Liberty in this poignant picture book. The poetic phrasing might be too confusing for younger children and might require further explanation even for older children.The beautifully evocative text from Bunting, describing the antics of the gargoyles at night, is perfectly matched by the dark-toned but gorgeous pastel artwork of Wiesner in Night of the Gargoyles. In this haunting black-and-white picture book, Bunting (see A Day's Work, reviewed above) and Wiesner (Tuesday) imagine the secret life of gargoyles. Bunting's straightforward story about a boy living in Oregon who learns to accept the loss of loved ones, including his dog, is heartwarming despite some heavy touches.