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.

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.

What do Animals Do at Night?

This week I’m sharing two more books about critters at night. One is about animals that are active at night, and the other is about animals that sleep at night.

theme: animals, night, bedtime stories

Night Creatures: Animals That Swoop, Crawl, and Creep while You Sleep 

by Rebecca E. Hirsch; illus. by Sonia Possentini 

32 pages; ages 5-10

Millbrook Press, 2021  

A cool night breeze blows softly on your face as night creatures wake in quiet dens and dusky nooks.

Fireflies flicker, night creatures crouch and creep, some swoop and others pounce. Page by page, readers meet denizens of the night world.

What I like about this book: Verbs! These night critters are active. They prowl for food, they squish in muck, they flee from predators, or feast on berries. I like that the story begins with dusk and ends with dawn. And I like the diversity of animals, from owl to skunk, frog to bat. Plus there is Back Matter (which, by now, you know I am a big fan of). Back matter provides more information about each animal introduced in the book. It’s also where we meet cool words, such as “crepuscular” ~ a very fun word to say. Try it: kreh-PUSS-ku-ler.

Where Do Creatures Sleep at Night? 

by Steven J. Simmons; illus. by Ruth Harper 

32 pages; ages 3-7

Charlesbridge, 2021  (releases 10/26)

We are used to seeing creatures by day. 

But where at night do you think they stay?

This book shows where animals sleep at night on and around a farm. Where do squirrels and birds sleep? What about frogs and butterflies? And does the goldfish ever sleep?

What I like about this book: Each spread shows an animal active during the day on one page, and resting at night on the facing page ~ including the very active kids who play on the farm. Definitely a “good night, sleep tight” read before bedtime.

Beyond the Books:

Get to know the night time animals in your neighborhood. Find a place where you can safely observe the wild night-life: a backyard, a neighborhood park, or a balcony. What animal sounds do you hear? Maybe quiet rustles in the leaves, or croaks, buzzes, barks. What animals do you see? Around here we see bats, tree frogs, beetles, and once a deer walking down main street!

Get to know the day-active animals in your neighborhood. Where do you think they go at night? We discovered a squirrel’s drey, high in the branches of one of our trees. Find out more about squirrel dreys here.

If you were a wild animal, where would you sleep? What sort of safe and cozy nest would you construct? 

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.

Explore Outdoors ~ at night

 

This week, explore your backyard at night. Or, if you are able to, take a walk around a park after the sun sets. The world is different. It sounds different, it feels different - it even smells different. Quiet rustles in the grass sound louder. Different animals are out and about: bats, moths, and around here, coyotes.

Write down the things you notice at night. Then, if you have the opportunity, go back in the daytime and write down what you notice. 

Need inspiration? Check out this post by my friend and colleague, Leslie Collin Tribble.

You're Invited to a Moth Ball!

You're Invited to a Moth Ball: A Nighttime Insect Celebration 
by Loree Burns; illus by Ellen Harasimowicz
40 pages; ages 5 - 8
Charlesbridge, 2020

theme: insects, STEAM, summer

You don’t know what a moth ball is? Please come anyway! You can learn as we go.

A moth ball, it turns out, isn’t a dance with tuxedos and long gowns. It’s a night-time party that celebrates moths! And this newest book by Loree Burns shows how you can get involved. You don’t need much: a light source, some moth food, and about a ton of curiosity. Ellen Harasimowicz provides wonderful photos of kids searching for moths and a moth-collecting station.

What I like about this book: It’s about bugs! I love the title page, designed as an invitation with an RSVP at the bottom. I love the playful approach: we’re going to have a ball! And I like the back matter where you can find out more about moths, how to set up your very own moth ball, and a recipe for moth bait. Loree includes an author’s note about raising moth eggs, and Ellen shares some notes about photographing moths.

Loree graciously answered One Question by email earlier this week:

Archimedes: Of all the moths you've met during your evening "Moth Balls", do you have any favorites? And what is it about them that you find so fascinating?

Loree: It's truly hard to pick a favorite moth, partly because there are so many fascinating and unexpected species and partly because I've only seen a tiny subset of the ones I know are out there. I am sure I'll have a different answer to this question at the end of the summer moth-watching season.

rosy maple moth ~ cute, fuzzy guy!

That said, I have a special affection for the rosy maple moth. It's the moth that first surprised me, because I stumbled on one during the day (it was resting on a daisy stem, and I happened to be in the garden cutting daisies) and because it is gorgeous. I've heard people call them cotton candy moths, and I think it's an appropriate moniker for a creature so yellow and pink! The other appealing characteristic of the rosy maple moth is that they're super common. Now that I routinely have lights on in my yard at night, I see them all the time. So it's a moth beginners can expect to see, too.

Beyond the Books:

Check out the differences between moths and butterflies at this page hosted by the Australian Museum.

Young moth-watchers can collect important data to help scientists understand more about moths. Here’s one study done by Grant, and here’s how you can get involved as a citizen scientist during National Moth Week.

Go mothing! Here’s tips to get you started from Science Friday.

Loree is a member of #STEAMTeam2020. You can find out more about her at her website.

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy  provided by the publisher.

Full Moon and Moonflowers

To celebrate the Full Pink Moon, I bring you… The Moonflower. It’s back in print, newly revised, and as gorgeous as ever.

The Moonflower
by Peter Loewer; illus. by Jean Loewer
32 pages; ages 6-10
Peachtree, 2019

theme: flower, nature, night

When the sun has set in the West…

The Moonflower is a lyrical and accurate account of nature at night. Beginning with sunset, we meet the crickets, moths, bats, and owls that populate the night. Eventually the moonflower opens and we get an up-close look at pollination.

I grabbed a copy of the original from the library to see how the new version compares. The title page has been updated, and the pages have a crisper look to them. Sidebar material is easier to read. And new information is included. There is more information about bumble bee nests and how bees see the world around them. The original book tells how to translate cricket chirps into temperature; this new printing includes calculations for degrees Celsius. Bats get more press in this updated version, as do moths. Overall, the sidebars and back matter have more connections to math and science.

What I like about this book: I have always liked it for its language. Bats don’t just fly, they swoop and glide. The moonflowers open “like a movie in slow motion” and hawkmoth wings beat so fast they are blurred with speed.

The back matter is still there. As before, there are directions for planting and growing your own moonflower. The glossary has grown, over the years, to reflect the additional information in sidebars.

Beyond the book:

Take a moon hike. It's a bit early for moonflowers to bloom, but not too early to check out the full moon! Tonight is the "full pink moon". Is it really pink? Does it cast moon shadows? What birds, insects, and other nocturnal wildlife do you hear as you walk?

Calculate the temperature from cricket chirps. Here are directions to do that in degrees F and C. Plus additional investigations, including chirp counts for different kinds of crickets and even katydids. If it's too cold for crickets where you are, jot this on your Things to Do list for later in the summer.

Learn more about moonflowers here, and make some paper moonflowers for an inside "garden".

Do you have any night pollinators living around your area? Check out this post, and this one about how light pollution presents a challenge to the night flyers.

Today we're joining other book bloggers over at STEM Friday, where you can discover other cool STEM books. And we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website . Review copy provided by publisher.

Books to welcome summer

theme: summer, wildflowers, night

Summer officially begins next week! Here's a fun pop-up book to kick off vacation:

Summer
by David A. Carter
12 pages; ages 3-5
Abrams Appleseed, 2018

The summer day is long and warm...

Each spread in this book features brief text and depicts plants and animals that children might see during the summer.

What I like about this book: It's fun! When you turn the page, a plant or tree pops up (plus the squash that vines from one side of the spread to the other). Birds, animals, fruits, and the occasional feature are labeled, and there is plenty of detail to explore on the page. It almost begs kids to get up and head outside to explore summer. My recommendation: tuck this one in your picnic basket.

 Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Wildflowers
by Libby Romero
160 pages; ages 8 & up
National Geographic Children's Books, 2018

I love the NGK field guide series. They are sturdy field guides that are just the right size for tucking into the pocket of a back pack. It's not as detailed as the Peterson guide, but it makes up for the lack of entries with vibrant photos and is organized in a fun way that groups flowers by the sorts of questions one might ask. For example, one chapter highlights invasive flowers, another one draws your attention to petal shape.

The front pages introduce wildflowers, how they grow, and where to find them. Front matter is where you'll find a diagram of flower parts, a checklist of things to take along on a flower hike (remember a hand lens!), and some tips on protecting wildflowers.

Flowers are introduced by common name, scientific name, and a paragraph of general information about the species. In addition to a photo, there are often drawings that show basic features to help with plant identification. Plus lots of wildflower watching tips.

Nature's Lullaby Fills the Night
by Dee Leone; illus. by Bali Engel
40 pages; ages 3-7
Sterling, 2018

Moths with powdery wings do soft gently stir the air aloft.
Their flitter-flutter lullabies barely whisper, "Close your eyes."

Spiders spin, crickets sing, tree branches shuuush in the breeze. The lyrical language paired with dark blues of a night world will certainly bring calm after a busy day.

What I like about this book: It's quiet - a lullaby that celebrates the night world. Drifting parachutes sprinkle seeds, night creatures sing, and all around us the mama and papa birds and fish and deer tuck their young in, and snuggle up for a good night's sleep.

Beyond the Book:
Show how summer looks, smells, sounds, and feels. Draw pictures, cut photos from a magazine, and create a collage or map for the season. Add labels where needed.

Go on a listening walk. You can do this during the day or at night, in the city or in the country. Notice the different sounds you hear.

Get to know your wildflower neighbors. The best way to learn who they are is to take a field guide with you, so you can compare petals and leaves of flowers to the descriptions in the guide book. There are some online guides. Here's one, and here's another.

Today we're joining the STEM Friday roundup - and we're also joining others over at Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copies from publishers.

Science after Dark

My kids loved going outside at night. We'd watch meteors, listen to insects, and go on moon-lit walks to look for nightlife. Here's a couple of new releases to inspire the night scientists in your house.

themes: nonfiction, night sky, animal behavior

 Night Creepers
by Linda Stanek; illus by Shennen Bersani
32 pages; ages 3-8
Arbordale, 2017

Waking up.

Most of us will read that and think, "morning". But no, these are red foxes and they're just shaking off sleep for a night busy with adventures.

What I like about this book: Each spread introduces young readers to a nocturnal or crepuscular (active dawn and dusk) creature. We meet wolves, bats, flying squirrels. raccoons, owls, frogs, and fireflies. The left side of each spread features large text with animal actions: gliding, washing, preening. A column down the right side gives more detail about the animal's behavior, what they eat, how they hunt, and where they live. Back matter includes four pages of activities for creative minds.

Night Sky (NGK Readers series)
by Laura March
32 pages; ages 5-8
National Geographic Children's Books, 2017

When the sun goes down, dots of light fill the night sky.
Some of them move. Others are still. Some twinkle. Others don't.
Have you ever wondered what they are?

 Short chapters focus on the moon, stars, planets, and "flying objects" - meteors and comets. Simple text is accompanied by gorgeous photos of earth, sky, and other heavenly objects.

What I like about this book: In addition to the text, a reader can gain information from photo captions, text boxes, and side bars. I like the "Sky Word" boxes; each explains one term. And I like the occasional jokes along the tops of the pages: Why did the moon stop eating? There's a wonderful graphic showing how an eclipse works, tips for stargazing, and "7 Cool Facts About Space!" A quiz at the end, photo glossary, and table of contents add value for curious kids.

Beyond the books:

Go on a night walk. Listen to the sounds of animals, wind blowing through leaves. Feel the air - is is cool? damp? icy? warm? dry? What does night time smell like? Jot down your observations about what you see, hear, feel, smell.

What do night animals sound like? Here's an article that provides short videos of night time noises you might hear.

Watch the night sky for a month. Or more. What do you see? You can find star maps and upcoming meteor showers at EarthSky (click on "tonight" for maps of constellations and things to look for).

Take a field trip to the library for books about the constellations. Hunt down Greek legends, Native American stories, or other tales that tell how a constellation came to be.

Today we're joining the STEM Friday roundup - and we're also joining others over at Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copies from the publisher.

Wild Outdoor Wednesday

by Bruce Marlin

Fireflies!

A couple weeks ago I was backing up files to my external hard drive. I turned off the light and noticed the hard drive was blinking every now and then - a blue-green flash of light.

Over on the window, a firefly answered with it's own flashing code.

So this week, let's head outside after dark to watch the fireflies. Try to capture their colors and  flash patterns as they zip through the sky.

You can get involved with citizen science projects at Firefly Watch or if  you live in Utah and the western US, check out this Firefly Citizen Science Project.

Remember to take your sketchbook or journal with unlined pages, something to draw and write with, and something to add color ~ watercolors, colored pencils, crayons, or markers.

Wild Outdoor Wednesday

Listen to night sounds. What does the night smell like? Feel like?

Remember to take your sketchbook or journal with unlined pages, something to draw and write with, and something to add color ~ watercolors, colored pencils, crayons, or markers.

Why did the Frog cross the road?

wood frog ( NYS Dept. Environmental Conservation)

When I drive up my road these nights I see frogs and toads leaping and hopping across the road. I suspect they're leaving the ponds and heading into the woods for fall. The toads (American toads) will burrow into the soil below the frost line, but gray tree frogs and other frogs that aren't so good at digging will just scootch beneath layers of leaves and pine needles.

A layer of leaves sounds cozy - but it's not nearly warm enough to keep the frogs from freezing. So it's a good thing these frogs have "antifreeze" in their system.

Meanwhile, during these last nights of summer, the woods around my house is noisy. Every evening there is a symphony of cricket and frog song that echoes through the trees.

What sort of night sounds do you have around your home? Open the windows and listen. See if you can tell who's singing/chirping/wailing/trilling. If there are too many human sounds, take a nighttime field trip to a park where you can hear the insects and last-of-summer amphibians. You can listen to the sounds of frogs here and here.

Celebrate Moths this Week!

This week is the first ever ...

National Moth Week

So get out of the house and join your friends and neighbors under the street lights, porch lights or even the lights down at the gas station to see who’s flying around at night. You can set up a sheet and light to attract moths to your backyard –  and just in case it rains, stock up on a few books about moths. 

You don’t even have to wait until dark- last week I found a clearwing “hummingbird” moth visiting the bee balm, right alongside the bumblebees it mimics.