Night Catch [Hardcover]

Brenda Ehrmantraut (Author), Vicki Wehrman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2005

When a soldier's work takes him half-way around the world, he enlists the help of the North Star for a nightly game of catch with his son.

Night Catch is a timeless story that connects families while they are apart and offers comforting hope for their reunion.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Bubble Gum Pr; First Edition edition (July 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972983392
• ISBN-13: 978-0972983396
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful way to incorporate Dad into the daily nighttime routine. February 12, 2007

By Value Mommy

As an Army wife, the hardest thing I have to endure is watching my kids say goodbye to their dad for an entire year as he goes to Iraq for the second time. There will be nothing more important to them during this time than routine and ritual to keep Daddy close in their hearts. This book will be a great tool for helping them keep Daddy part of their nighttime routine. The story is about a father, a soldier, who is being sent to serve in a far off location (in what looks like Iraq but it's never specifically stated). The father proposes a special nightly game of catch with his son in which his son finds Polaris each night before climbing in bed. He instructs the boy to, "Breathe in deep, then blow out hard to send that North Star sailing far." Then Dad tells his son, "Then close your eyes and have sweet dreams of playing catch amid moonbeams. The star will travel all the night while you are sleeping, tucked in tight. I'll work while waiting patiently for that North Star to come to me. Then as you open up your eyes, I'll spot it in my darkening skies. I'll catch that star with a grand salute on my end of its nightly route." The lyrical story goes on to say how dad will send the star back and they will send it back and forth until the end of his time abroad. "Then when I'm finished working there, I'll blow a final puff of air. I'll board the plane and ask the crew to race that star right back to you."

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! I can't say enough about the sweet but simple nature of the story or of the illustrations, which are magical and relaxing at the same time. As my family prepares for a year-long deployment, I'm stocking up on books. I'm glad to see that I have more of a selection than basic (non-military) separation books. Really, because of the unique nature of this experience, military kids really deserve to have a story that they can perfectly relate to. I also got "Daddy's in Iraq, but I Want him Back" and loved it. I have younger kids (preschoolers/toddler) so I want no mention of war and danger, only something they can relate to about Daddy having to be gone a long time in service of his country and to help people.

This book is absolutely one I would recommend to friends.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing love letter to a child in these troubled times. September 16, 2005

By Susan Thompson Underdahl

I heard Brenda Ehrmantraut read this book at a SCBWI conference and was incredibly moved by both her lyrical prose and the sweetness of the story. This book should be gifted to every child with a parent stationed overseas. It's absolutely beautiful.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great deployment book for any service. March 18, 2008

By Annie L. Horvath

My husband will soon leave for Kuwait, leaving behind our 4 yo daughter and me. I've been researching various deployment books since we learned he was going.

Overall, this is one of the best books. It is service neutral (which is difficult to find). The story is about love and separation more than the actual reason they are gone. The illustrations are lovely and typical of quality children's books as opposed to deployment books that look like they were drawn by children.

While our daughter becomes sad when her dad reads it to her, I feel as if it will help a lot when he leaves.