Great for bedtime. Beautiful, simple illustrations. ( )

A quiet, beautiful book.

A young polar bear awakens in the night and goes for a walk, passing by the other sleeping animals before witnessing a beautiful "star shower."

This book seems like a perfect bedtime story; it is soothing and calm in both its text and illustrations. There is a basic plot, but it is not fast-paced nor moralizing. The award-winning illustrations are interesting; they are not striking per se but they suit the story well (simple yet declarative, just like the text), especially with their muted colors reflecting the nighttime setting. ( )

The plot was a tad too simple and happy-go-lucky for my taste (alibi I am not the target audience), and the illustration style was kind of risky; when it worked, though, it was pretty magical. ( )

A polar bear cub wakes up in the middle of the night, feeling as if something was calling her. She ventures outsides, waiting for something to happen. As she waits, she sees a beautiful sight of falling stars and bright lights. Once the spectacle ends and the quietness ensue, she heads back home, to her mother.

Follow this adventurous cub into the cold night and see a meteor shower and the aurora lights. The story is easy for readers to follow and the moderate pace will make the readers turn to the next page. The cute little polar bear cub’s adventure is also wonderfully portrayed in the artwork. The illustrations are done with linocuts technique, giving them depth while being simple. The use of rice paper also gives the illustration a unique pattern.

After reading this book, the readers will want to see the spectacle the cub was able to see. It might lead the readers to a planetarium in search for the light. The readers will not be able to put this book down. ( )