Library Binding ©2014 | -- |
Paperback ©2022 | -- |
Libraries. Fiction.
Books and reading. Fiction.
Nocturnal animals. Fiction.
Animals. Fiction.
A celebration of the expanded roles of libraries in the 21st century takes its visual cue from the best mid-20th-century picture books. "Once there was a library that opened only at night. A little librarian worked there with her three assistant owls." These sentences appear on opposite sides of the gutter of a double-page spread that shows a simply depicted girl in a dress, with hair in sticking-out braids and arms full of books, moving briskly across the library. Bold black outlines the little librarian and her avian assistants, all of whom are the same goldenrod color as the library walls and the outside-of-the-windows stars. The third color in the tricolor prints is a deep blue, consistently coloring the many books shelved throughout the pages. The little librarian and her assistants cheerfully accommodate musical squirrels who disrupt silent readers, a wolf who weeps over a sad part in a book ("she was crying so much her tears fell like rain") and a tortoise whose slow reading threatens to keep the library open past its dawn closing hour. The text and artwork do not miss a beat as the closing spread shows the little librarian and her assistants reading a bedtime story. The book-and-star-themed endpapers add to the charm. Original, imaginative and perfect for naptime or bedtime. (Picture book. 2-6)
ALA Booklist (Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)A nocturnal little librarian in pigtails and her three owl assistants help the library's visitors find exactly what they need in the latest from Kohara. In striking block-printed pictures rendered in thick black, dusky blue, and sunny yellow, Kohara follows the helpful midnight librarian through one night of problems e squirrel band wants to practice their noisy new material; Miss Wolf reads a sad book and weeps rainlike tears all over the reading room; and Tortoise won't leave at closing time. Luckily, the midnight library has resources to satisfy everyone. There's an activity room where the band can play and a storytelling corner where Miss Wolf can listen to a happy ending; Tortoise can sign up for a library card, and, of course, there's a perfect bedtime book for three sleepy owls. The jaunty, cartoonish illustrations depict happy animals enjoying the library for more than just reading, and cooperatively respecting everyone's space (is there a more important library lesson?). It goes without saying that this is perfect for storytime.
Horn BookIn the Midnight Library, a little-girl librarian and her three owl assistants provide a friendly spot for animals from "all over the town" to "find a perfect book." Kohara's gentle story and vibrant compositions have an old-fashioned sensibility and simplicity. With a limited (but not limiting) three-color palette and strong, energetic lines, Kohara captures the magic of the middle-of-the-night goings on.
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)A celebration of the expanded roles of libraries in the 21st century takes its visual cue from the best mid-20th-century picture books. "Once there was a library that opened only at night. A little librarian worked there with her three assistant owls." These sentences appear on opposite sides of the gutter of a double-page spread that shows a simply depicted girl in a dress, with hair in sticking-out braids and arms full of books, moving briskly across the library. Bold black outlines the little librarian and her avian assistants, all of whom are the same goldenrod color as the library walls and the outside-of-the-windows stars. The third color in the tricolor prints is a deep blue, consistently coloring the many books shelved throughout the pages. The little librarian and her assistants cheerfully accommodate musical squirrels who disrupt silent readers, a wolf who weeps over a sad part in a book ("she was crying so much her tears fell like rain") and a tortoise whose slow reading threatens to keep the library open past its dawn closing hour. The text and artwork do not miss a beat as the closing spread shows the little librarian and her assistants reading a bedtime story. The book-and-star-themed endpapers add to the charm. Original, imaginative and perfect for naptime or bedtime. (Picture book. 2-6)
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)For children whose early bedtimes make them feel like they-re missing all the fun, Kohara (
PreS-Gr 1 Kohara's latest picture book is tailor-made for pajama storytimes. The Midnight Library is unusualonly open from midnight until dawn. Bustling among furry and feathered patrons, a little librarian and her three assistant owls help each and every reader find the perfect book. Acknowledging that modern libraries also function as vibrant community centers where noise is accommodated, the diminutive information professional cheerfully leads a band of musical squirrels to the activity room, where they "played their instruments as loud as they liked." As dawn approaches and the librarian prepares to close down, she patiently persuades a slowly reading tortoise to get a library card and borrow his selectiona scene which will ring familiar for many librarians. As in Ghosts in the House (Roaring Brook, 2008), Kohara employs a limited but bold palette for her sightly retro-style linocut illustrations. Thick black lines define the young librarian, her animal patrons, and the angular, teetering stacks of books. Mustard yellow, which serves as the primary color throughout, lends the nighttime setting a coziness and warmth appropriate for snuggling up for storytime. Pops of navy blue accent both the midnight sky glimpsed through windows and the dozens of library books. Kohara achieves something unique with this title: a modern sensibility with a classic aesthetic. A delightful addition to picture book collections.— Kiera Parrott , School Library Journal
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews
ALA Booklist (Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)
Horn Book
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)
School Library Journal (Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)
Wilson's Children's Catalog
Perfect for bedtime reading, pay a visit to the Midnight Library where you can snuggle up for a nighttime story. There is a little library that only opens at night. In the library there is a little librarian--and her three assistant owls--who helps everyone find the perfect book. The library is always peaceful and quiet . . . until one night when some of the animals stir up a little trouble (and a little fun!) in the Midnight Library. From Kazuno Kohara, creator of the New York Times Best Illustrated book Ghosts in the House! comes a beautiful book brimming with cozy charm.