Under Alaska's Midnight Sun (PAWS IV)
PreSchool-Grade 1–On the day of the solstice, a child plays with her baby brother as she waits for midnight to arrive. She shares the day with Alaskan wildlife: salmon leaping in a creek, ducklings waddling alongside a pond, and a moose and its young calf as they meander at the edge of a meadow. After a day of running, dancing, and playing, the young narrator manages to stay up past midnight to celebrate, and finally allows herself to curl up and fall asleep. Vanasse uses occasional rhyme, assonance, and alliteration to give the text a poetic feel, but never subjects readers to too much of a good thing. Some verses read more smoothly than others, but, overall, the text is fresh and vivid. Trammell's joyful, full-page color illustrations are suitably light and airy, capturing the beauty of the northern landscape and the exuberance of the girl. An author's note provides additional details. This is a good wind-down bedtime choice for children who have decided they can't (or won't) sleep.–Carol L. MacKay, Camrose Public Library, Alberta, CanadaCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.