Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review In this eloquent, enchantingly illustrated bedtime story, a cat explores the many nocturnal sights and sounds of the natural world, where there's much to discover. The cat's foray begins close to home, where fireflies dot the sky, and "moonflowers unfurl and release their intoxicating perfume." Stopping briefly to stargaze with a little girl, the cat then continues on its way. The outdoors is now "darker than dark, and there are sounds that you don't know," writes Berger, but the text exhorts, "Don't be afraid" stead, the night noises, from wind blowing to crickets chirping, can be soothing. Eventually, the cat returns inside, where the girl's already snugly tucked into bed, and she and the cat nestle together. Berger's (The Little Yellow Leaf, 2008) lilting, often lyrical direct-address prose invites readers in, as do the vibrant, intricately patterned and detailed cut-paper collage illustrations, which artfully integrate deeper and bright hues, evocative silhouettes, and familiar and fanciful images, such as a fox family in the forest, the ever-present cat peeking behind a tree, an owl's hoots depicted as musical notes, and the swirling banner of good nights in the girl's room. In tandem, the text and art endow nighttime with a sense of whimsy and wonder, and for little ones readying for bed, they'll find comfort and reassurance for sweeter dreams.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A cut-paper extravaganza welcomes young readers to the wonders of the nighttime.The titular phrase "In the night garden" kicks off this exploration of a bedtime world. Indeed, those words repeat themselves several times as readers watch fireflies that resemble stars, the opening of perfumed moonflowers, and a black cat that acts as a guide through most of the book. Readers are led on a gentle journey past streams, crickets, and even bullfrogs croaking in the night before we see a tan-skinned child-depicted early on in the story gazing at stars-tucked into bed, yawning. Exceedingly delicate paper collages incorporate everything from ticket stubs and receipts to ledger books to make the darkness magical, the most impressive sight being the dramatically rendered harvest moon, all "fiery red" in the sky. Berger's pen is just as adept as her scissors as she twists a turn of phrase into its simplest and most evocative form, as when "bats swoop and glide in the bluing sky." Children are told not to fear when the light is gone or when they hear strange noises. "Just close your eyes and listen," and young readers will do just that. Indeed, they'll be unable to resist. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Nighttime is the right time for young readers thanks to this perfect amalgamation of soothing text and image. (Picture books. 3-5)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

PreS-Gr 3— For children who wonder what happens in the garden at night, here is a gorgeously illustrated book for story hours. Berger takes readers on a shadowy adventure through the mysteries, where fireflies light up the darkness, a cat tiptoes across the roof, a family of foxes plays along the edges, and every scene is delightfully illustrated using cut-paper collage. The text is lyrically written with high level vocabulary but short sentences to keep even the youngest readers engaged. The artwork is very detailed; some of the paper has printed words, offering readers a chance to guess what the paper may have been in its previous use. This is a charming book that could be used as a bedtime story, but also as a lesson for being open to what is not yet understood. Pair this with Monica Wellington's Night City or Night Rabbits for more benevolent books about the night. VERDICT Readers will want to return to this beautiful picture book over and over again. A first purchase.— Debbie Tanner

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Berger's (Finding Spring, rev. 1/15) soothing, rhythmic text guides readers through the wonders of a garden at night, directly addressing them in hushed tones: "If you are very patient and very lucky / you might catch a glimpse of a shooting star." Those stars, bats, the ever-changing moon, and the not-so-scary-after-all foxes and wind appear in intricate cut-paper collages composed of "found ephemera and scraps of paper, including ticket stubs, receipts, and ancient ledger books." Berger's attention to detail in the art, alongside her sophisticated and accessible text, creates a magical nighttime world. This spellbinding picture book will undoubtedly hold children in that glorious tension between wide-eyed curiosity and heavy-lidded drowsiness before they drift off to sleep.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A cut-paper extravaganza welcomes young readers to the wonders of the nighttime.The titular phrase "In the night garden" kicks off this exploration of a bedtime world. Indeed, those words repeat themselves several times as readers watch fireflies that resemble stars, the opening of perfumed moonflowers, and a black cat that acts as a guide through most of the book. Readers are led on a gentle journey past streams, crickets, and even bullfrogs croaking in the night before we see a tan-skinned child-depicted early on in the story gazing at stars-tucked into bed, yawning. Exceedingly delicate paper collages incorporate everything from ticket stubs and receipts to ledger books to make the darkness magical, the most impressive sight being the dramatically rendered harvest moon, all "fiery red" in the sky. Berger's pen is just as adept as her scissors as she twists a turn of phrase into its simplest and most evocative form, as when "bats swoop and glide in the bluing sky." Children are told not to fear when the light is gone or when they hear strange noises. "Just close your eyes and listen," and young readers will do just that. Indeed, they'll be unable to resist. (This book was reviewed digitally.)Nighttime is the right time for young readers thanks to this perfect amalgamation of soothing text and image. (Picture books. 3-5)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Using finely cut paper shapes to create a striking sequence of collaged spreads, Berger (A Curious Menagerie) meditates on the magic that unfolds around an ordinary house at night. Alongside a black cat, a gingham-clad child portrayed with brown skin stares up at the sky in an early spread: “In the night garden, you can lie on the cool grass and look up to the millions and trillions of stars.” But it’s the cat that subsequently threads its way through most of the book’s spreads. The feline stalks behind brilliant white moonflowers that “unfurl and release their intoxicating perfume,” becomes the face of a shooting star, bats at a firefly in a garden densely patterned with stylized flowers, and sits listening to a hoot owl “calling to you from a far-off tree.” Alongside tranquil text, landscapes bear traces of mosaics, tapestry art, and William Morris prints, their layered components sometimes represented in snips of handwritten and printed pages. All the senses are engaged as, en route to a cozy “sleep tight,” Berger presents the smells, the sounds, and the sights of nighttime as elegant, dazzling, and serene. Ages 3–6. (July)