Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Nights Of The World
Illustrator: Arno
Novelty Book
For ages 3 to 6
Kane Miller, 2005 ISBN: 1929132794
Children often wonder what it would be like if they were a child living in another part of the world. Would they play the same games, do the same things during the day, and play with the same kinds of toys?
In this beautifully presented picture book, children can see how girls and boys living in Africa, Asia, and other places spend their days and nights. Instead of sleeping in a bed Kende sleeps on a carpet and Melisse sleeps in a hammock. During the day Sikku goes dog-sledding in his cold polar world, and Machiko flies her beautiful butterfly kite.
On every double page spread, young readers can pull a tab which reveals how each of the five sleeping children spend their days. Rich pastel illustrations with fabric collage make this book beautiful to look at, and young readers will also enjoy trying to figure out where the children on the pages live.
The book also shows readers that though there are big differences between the lives of Kende, Kamanga, Melisse, Siiku and Machiko, there is also a thread that connects them all, a thread that makes them part of the world’s family of children.
