Night's Nice [Hardcover]

Barbara Emberley (Author), Ed Emberley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Hop into bed,
Turn over thrice,
And whisper this softly:
Night's nice, night's nice, night's nice.

Good Night.

NIGHT'S NICE will lull little ones to sleep with its soothing, sing-song text and picturesque, stunning nightscapes throughout.

From moonlit treetops and city streetlamps to luminous fireworks on the 4th of July, Ed's watercolor illustrations poignantly capture the beauty of nighttime in this reissue of his classic children's story. (1993)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K—An inviting exploration of the wonders of nighttime, originally published in 1962. Text and images bring out the positive: night is a time to make wishes on stars, find the Big Dipper, and enjoy a bright moon. Darkness, the author and artist remind readers, also plays a part in holidays from fireworks on the 4th of July, to "spooky Halloween make-believe," to caroling at Christmas time. The book closes on a quiet note as animals, birds, and fish go to sleep, and a youngster, with Teddy Bear close by, tucks into bed. Thin, sketchlike black line drawings, awash in sumptuous jewel-toned colors, work in tandem with this soothing tale sure to diminish night frights for youngsters concerned about the dark.—Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA
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From Booklist

This re-illustrated version brings a freshness to the poem first published in 1962. Celebrating the darkness with the repeated refrain of “night’s nice,” the rhythm is sometimes off, but the message that night is nice—for wishing on a star, for watching fireworks, for a spooky Halloween—is a familiar one for young children. The particularly sturdy cover sports a yellow-eyed cat gazing up at a cutout of the moon, the yellow showing through from the endpaper. Young readers will enjoy searching for the cat that appears in every illustration but one. Deep-hued purples and blues set the evening scene with a luminous warmth that surrounds the night with a comforting feeling. Preschool-Grade 2. --Patricia Austin

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Library Binding edition (November 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316066230
• ISBN-13: 978-0316066235
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.5 x 10.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,499,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nights Nice -NICE!, April 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Nights Nice (Library Binding)

This is a great children's story, which I remember my grandmother reading to me as a young child. This story is especially good for young children who love bedtime stories, and those who might be scared of the dark of night. I would recommend this book to anyone with children.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a beautiful little bedtime book that children will find soothing!, September 21, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Night's Nice (Hardcover)

The black cat is sitting on the window sill next to the potted plant looking out into the night sky at the "first star." In another window where the teddy bear sits with one lonely roller skate the crescent moon and the big dipper are shining bright. Out in the darkened yard there are two cats overlooking the scene. There are fireflies, three owls in the evergreen trees and some bats overhead. Nights are good for holidays like the fourth of July and there's nothing quite like Halloween. Boo!

Christmas Eve is beautiful at night too when you can see the lights and listen to the carolers. At the sea shore you can see many twinkling. "These lights are sea lights, blinking and pretty but wait till you see all the lights ... in the city." Almost all creatures sleep at night. Lions, snails, turtle, gigantic whales, kings, kittens, birds ... and you!

This is a beautiful little bedtime book that children will find soothing. The art work is vibrant, but the tones are slightly darkened, keeping in line with the nighttime theme. The ending is a perfect invitation for your little one to pull up the covers and get a bit of sleep. "So hop into bed, turn over thrice and whisper this softly: Night's nice, night's nice, nights's nice. Good Night." This is a classic story that may have been read to you as a child, one that you may wish to read to your children or grandchildren!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evocative and delightful, February 7, 2007

By 

a writer (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night's nice (Hardcover)

This is a book I had from early childhood, one of many Doubleday children's titles I remembered from the 1960s. The narrative is not so much plot-oriented as it is an excursion into the wondrous nightime world of summer nights, fireflies, lit-up city buildings, deep oceans, Fourth of July fireworks and so forth. An ubiquitous black kitty is found on just about every page, yellow eyes blinking. The text is set in rhyme and makes for a great bedtime story. The illustrations are what I treasured most in this book. They're full page watercolors with black ink accents, done with rich, deep colors and a wholly delightful style that captures the story.

Like a lot of older children's titles, "Night's Nice" is a rare book that is only found through used book sellers. Judging from the all the available sources, this is a pricey book, even with ex-library markings. Amazon in Canada has, however, lists a reprint that's in the works for September 2008.