Sounds of the Night

I love to leave my window open at night – even if just a tiny bit – to let the night sounds in. Some nights I hear owls hooting and coyotes singing. Some nights I hear the distant sound of a train’s whistle. So I eagerly anticipated these two books hitting the shelves this fall!

themes: nighttime, nature, sounds

Starlight Symphony 

by Buffy Silverman 

32 pages; ages 4-9

‎ Millbrook Press, 2024

The lighting dims. 

The curtain lifts.

 Musicians gather. 

Spotlight shifts.

Settle in and get ready for a symphony of a different sort. Tonight’s program features the song of the wood thrush, the whistle of a screech owl, the slap of a beaver’s tail. Each animal adds their music to the symphony.

What I like about this book: Buffy highlights the bird calls and other animal sounds we might hear in nature at night while at the same time introducing sections of an orchestra. A beaver’s tail slapping the water – that’s percussion. I like the arc of the book, from dusk to dawn. And the back matter is really fun. In “Meet the Musicians” you learn more about each featured animal. “Meet the Musical Instruments” is all about the instruments, from wind to strings, grass to percussion.

A couple weeks ago I asked Buffy what inspired her to write Starlight Symphony.

Buffy: We live at the marshy end of a small lake, and across the street from an even smaller pond. Starting with the spring peepers in March, and continuing through spring and summer, we enjoy a nightly (and loud!) chorus of frogs, insects, birds, and mammals. The book is my tribute to all those songsters that I have enjoyed listening to for many years.

Buffy Silverman is a member of #STEAMTeam2024. You can find out more about her at her website.

Goodnight Sounds 

by Debbie S. Miller; illus. by Michelle Jing Chan 

32 pages; ages 2-5

Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2024

 In the cool, quiet night, fingers of fog spill over the hills, up the channel, and under the Golden Gate Bridge. I listen and wait for the sound…

The child in this book waits for the sound of foghorns bellowing their deep song. For her, it’s the sound of a lullaby. In other places the song that sings you to sleep might be the hooting of an owl, the trilling of crickets, or the clickety-clack, rick-rack of train wheels rolling down the track (which, if you are used to them, make a comforting and rhythmic sound).

What I like about this book: This is a sweet bedtime book, filled with the sorts of sounds a kid living anywhere might hear – whether they’re in a city or in the country, camping beside a stream or falling asleep by a campfire. The sounds might be distant, like a foghorn, or right next to you, like the purring of your cat curled up beside you. 

Beyond the Books:

Open the window tonight. What sounds do you hear? Instead of thinking about what’s making the sound, just listen. And then try to write down what you hear.

What are your favorite nighttime noises? Why do you like them? And what night sounds do you dislike?

Make a sound map. You should be outside to do this, so you can hear sounds coming from all directions. When you hear a sound, write it down on your map, like shown in this post from a couple years ago.

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.