Stories of the Night

A modern fairytale bedtime book set in the magical illustrated world of Astrid Lindgren Award recipient Kitty Crowther “Tell me three goodnight stories, please, please, please,” says Little Bear. “Three!” says her mother. “Yes, I said please three time!”

First, Little Bear hears the story of the Night Guardian, who lives in the woods and makes sure all the animals go to bed. But who tells the Night Guardian when it's bedtime? The second story is about the brave girl Zhora, who seeks the forest's most delicious blackberries. In the third we meet Bo, the little man with the big overcoat, who finds it hard to sleep.

Finally, Little Bear falls asleep, and there in bed beside her are her new storybook friends.

“"In this collection of original tales by Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award-winner Crowther, Little Bear asks for three bedtime stories, and Mother Bear obliges. In the first, an old woman with long hair, the Night Guardian, puts all the young forest animals, and then herself, to bed ('Go to bed, and then your sleep will catch you,' she tells a reluctant ermine). In the second, child Zhora, lost in the woods, is given shelter by her friend, the bat Jacko Mollo, in his treetop pine nest. In the last, Bo, a little man in a huge overcoat, takes a swim in the ocean, fully clothed, before he can go to sleep. Each story fuses an uncanny wildness with images of coziness and safety. Using a mixture of fine, bright lines and a startling shade of saturated pink that echoes the words' sense of light, love, and warmth, Crowther abstracts textures and patterns found in the natural world. Together with the appealing illustrated animal nests, these distinctive bedtime litanies might become some families' favorite nighttime read: 'The sky is all black now. But we can count on the stars to lead us into tomorrow.'"--starred, Publishers Weekly”

"A quirky charmer of a bedtime book…A visually distinct, original, pleasing bedtime book that has the feel of a classic." -- Kirkus Starred Review

"Together with the appealing illustrated animal nests, these distinctive bedtime litanies might become some families’ favorite nighttime read."

"This magical totem of a book bursts with beauty, absurdity, generosity and the surprise of the natural world."

Kitty Crowther lives in Belgium. With English and Swedish parents, and born in Brussels, she has written and illustrated over forty books which have been translated into twenty languages and won many awards. In 2010, she received the world’s most prestigious prize for children’s literature: the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.