Elf Night (Picture Books) [Hardcover]

Jan Wahl (Author), Peter Weevers (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Picture Books

At bedtime, a child enters the magical, miniature world of the elves.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A sleepy boy witnesses a fairy-filled wonderland in Wahl's (Three Pandas) paean to the imagination. "Sudden yellow moon Splashing on the floor Rub your eyes Whispers from the door!" With that, the boy climbs out of bed. Weevers's (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) twilight palette of lavender, light green and inky black lends an air of mystery as the child, dressed in pajamas and carrying a teddy bear, stands on the edge of a magical grove of trees. A full-bleed illustration of the woods dominates one side of the spread, then fades into white space. Led by the light of fireflies, succeeding spreads show "elf folk" with intricate dragonfly wings, gliding on the backs of crickets and riding a rat through sinewy grass to a midnight party amongst the toadstools. But the creatures must leave by daybreak. So must the boy: "Now dry your feet Climb back in bed You know you were there Sleepyhead." Despite a somewhat stilted rhyme scheme, Wahl's narrative effectively blurs the line between fantasy and reality. Ages 3-8
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

reSchool-Grade 2-A pajama-clad boy enters a moonlit forest for peeks at cavorting fairies. The adventure's rhyme suffers from sections with varying meter, inactive verbs, and odd phrases ("Elves can never Live by day") that halt the magic. Although Wahl's wording is not always literally depicted, Weevers's watercolors employ an ideal palette dominated by dusky blues, lavender, and greens. Mystical panoramas of rosy-cheeked, willowy sprites playing various instruments; dancing; or riding bats, crickets, and mice are balanced by single-page vignettes faced by text pages with drifting stars. Tuck this into a bedtime storyhour for its visual appeal.
Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575055120
• ISBN-13: 978-1575055121
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,834,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Elves and Fairies on a Moonlit Night, March 27, 2002

By 

Terrie (Little Chute, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elf Night (Picture Books) (Hardcover)

This is a dreamy picture book about a little boy cuddled up in his bed who suddenly hears some "whispers from the door!" He follows the calling of Magic and hides behind a big tree to watch dozens of elves and fairies and their animal friends dance and play beneath the luminous full moon. Fireflies and shooting stars light up the night sky. A big owl warns the elven folk that morning is approaching and off they go. The sleepy little boy goes back to bed. Did it really happen? The illustrations in this book are just superb. The rhyming text is somewhat forced and there is virtually no action apart from the motion of the fairies. They arrive, they dance around, they leave. This book is certainly not destined to become a classic since there is not much of a story to make it memorable, but the illustrations are so good that a true fairy enthusiast of whatever age will enjoy it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fairy story for boys!, August 16, 2008

By 

Faery Grandmother (Vancouver, Wa USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elf Night (Picture Books) (Hardcover)

I love this book! It's a nice little story with great illustrations.
It is a boy who follows the call and experiences the fairy world--just what a faery grandmother needs to read to her little grandsons!