A Very Noisy Night

Nightsong 

by Sally Soweol Han 

40 pages; ages 4-8

‎Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2025

theme: nature, sounds, night

Lewis listens to the Tick-Tock of the clock. When will the grown-ups stop talking?

Finally, it’s time to go home. Lewis and his mom travel by bus, and when a tire goes flat it makes a long trip even longer. As they wait for another bus to come, Lewis begins listening to the night sounds around him. There are whooots and chirps, rustles and flutters... and eventually the night sounds become a song.

What I like about this book: Rather than list sounds, Sally incorporates them into her illustrations. The first page, for example, there’s jingling keys, crunching of cookies, and the sound of crayons on a paper. But where the sounds really come to life is when Lewis and his mom are waiting on the country road, and we can hear all the night creatures. The spreads are filled with sounds!

Beyond the Books:

What sort of city-sounds do you hear at night? Write down all the sounds you can. Which ones are made by people and machines? Do you hear any sounds of nature? 

Listen for nighttime animal sounds. If you’re in a rural area, or a place where there’s not a lot of human-created noise, you might hear foxes or frogs, owls and cicadas. The best time to listen for animal sounds is spring and summer - but the next best time is now! You can check out some wildlife sounds here.

Color or paint what the night sounds like to you. Is it possible to capture sound in color and shape? Is it jaggedy? Smooth? How do different sounds move through your artwork? 

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 copy provided by the publisher.