A really pretty book with whimsical drawings of animals as they sleep at night. The illustrations are charming and the pages each also have little pictures and details that add extra interest for the perceptive reader and listener.

Originally published in Europe, the book has a delightful sense of intellectual depth rare in children's books. While a true bedtime story that is gentle in its art and story about different critters settling down for sleep, there is a touch of mischievousness in the artists' conception - a child peers in from the outside as cat purrs behind the warm stove and tiny mouse is in the corner snuggled up to a ball. Or when leopard dozes on a branch (with leopard coat hung up on a coat hanger and ear muffs on a branch) and three mice stroll along under the leopard knowing they are safe. And then, of course, the child, Manu, sleeps peacefully in his bed with his cuddle toys.

As you reach the middle of the book, you flip it and begin again because at night things are not always what they seem to be. There is a dream aura to this part of the book as well as the illustrations. A bit bizarre, jumbled, and changed around. This can be interpreted when being read to the child as a funny sleep-change or it can be an opportunity to let the child know that dreams are often a bit mixed up and odd. This way he understands that if he, himself, dreams it is o.k. if things are mixed up.

Throughout the book, the moon is pictured in various stages. I just love the illustrations and their whimsical charm.

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review of my honest opinions. I was not compensated. ( )

What a lovely book! Descriptions of this book almost always use the term "whimsical" and for good reason. With minimal text, the book takes a look at animals at rest, and half way through the story gets turned upside down. The illustrations and the flipping of the book enhance the dream-like quality of the story and the topsy-turvy nature of dreams themselves. Bansch's use of multi-media creates an element of things not being quite right, as they often are in dreams, and in particular her use of old maps in the illustration adds a nice touch. Even in the "right" world, the illustrations hold plenty of interest for young readers. What is the wolf in the bat's cave thinking, what in the world are the ducks up to at the dog's house, and clearly the owl has had enough of the polar bear's snoring!
It's a clever enough premise, flipping the world over in dreamland, but the illustrations really make the difference with this book and elevate it so it doesn't feel like a gimmick. And what child wouldn't like to go to sleep and dream of chocolate and raspberry ice cream? ( )

This charming picture book, with its simple bedtime story and whimsical flip-side version, will appeal to young listeners just starting to see the humor in unexpected narratives. The illustrations are lovely and leave more details to be discovered when rereading.

At Night by Helga Bansch is a fun bedtime book with a twist. The book is double sided and when read one way it tells a standard sort of bedtime story. The elephant lies down in the tall grass, the bird snuggles into her nest, the bat hangs from the cave roof. However once you get to the middle of the book you're presented with an image of an eclipse. If you flip the book over and read it again it tells the story again with a sort of dark, dream-like twist. The elephant sleeps in the birds nest, the bird lies in the tall grass, and so on.

The art work is very fitting for the story. It has a subdued color pallet and utilizes mixed media to incorporate patterns and other interesting textures.

This book was a little to "young" for my 7 year old, but my two year old loved it and I think she will continue to enjoy it especially as she grows to appreciate the silliness and absurdity of the second part.

I am a children's book addict and found At Night to be very clever! It held the interest of my 3 year old nephew and we both enjoyed the surprise twist in the middle of the book. I enjoyed the artistry of the illustrations; however, my nephew had a lot of questions about some of the quirky pictures (especially the strange looking stove). At Night is a simple read that offers great discussion about dreams! ( )