Dusk

It’s easy to fall prey to melancholy when darkness begins to fall, especially in winter when “Days are short. Nights are long.” In this quirky, cozy companion to the Caldecott Honor–winning Snow, a “boy with dog,” out for a walk with his “grandfather with beard,” comes to realize that a city (especially if it’s New York City) can come alive in magical ways at dusk. The sidewalks and streets fill with people (and one extraterrestrial) headed home or out for a night’s adventure. As manmade illumination gradually replaces “nature’s lights,” the whole world glows and sparkles, while lights belonging to Christmas trees, menorahs, and kinaras promise wonderful celebrations—and presents. “It’s as light as day,” marvels the boy. Shulevitz reprises the stripped-down, staccato storytelling of Snow, and his highly stylized cityscape—with its snug streets, toylike cars, and confidently striding (and eccentrically dressed) population—is both familiar and wonderfully strange. It’s delightful to see such an outgoing and sociable offering from Shulevitz, as he exuberantly embraces the bright joys of a winter night. Ages 3–8. (Sept.)