Last Night
Kindergarten-Grade 3—In this wordless picture book, an unhappy child sits at a table holding a fork over a plate of food. She obviously isn't excited about her supper and is sent to her room. After she goes to sleep, her stuffed bear awakens her and takes her on a walk. They meet up with some wild animals and play until finally the bear falls asleep and the girl lies down close to him. The next morning, she looks at her stuffed bear still sprawled on his back, and then walks downstairs and hugs her mom. Yum's evocative linocut illustrations offer ample context for a child to imagine what the little girl is feeling, and how her mood changes over the course of the night. White, pink, and yellow tones blend and contrast in her face to sometimes resemble a mask. Not all children will fully appreciate the indistinct look of the pictures; however, their sweet poignancy is palpable. Many adults will view this book as a useful tool to encourage children to explore and cope effectively with feelings of anger as they compose their own explanations for the series of events so vividly represented in this eloquent book.—Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma County Library, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.