Good Night, Firefly

March 15, 2015
Nina learns that a firefly is a great night light-initially. The illustrations are top-notch, with the appearance of black-and-white scratchboard, sparsely highlighted with a red shirt here, a yellow glow there. The text is both matter-of-fact and descriptive: "Nina was scared of the dark, so it was good she had a night-light, which made things better. Then one night... / the electricity went out. Nina watched as scary shadows crept across her walls. Every noise sounded like the whispering of monsters." An exciting illustration that looks more like a fireworks display than a normal firefly-spangled night prefaces Nina's trip to trap a firefly in a jar. Unfortunately, observant, bug-savvy readers will notice the lack of holes in the jar's lid. (Those conversant with fireflies' unique needs will also take alarm at the absence of a moist paper towel within.) This mars the humor of the following pages, in which Nina engages in many activities by the firefly's light until the insect is almost dead. Nina tries showing the bug several things to "make his light stronger-a battery, a wind-up key, her favorite chocolate bar"-until she hits on the right solution and frees it. (Whew!) Children who regularly spend time with bugs may well be so distressed at the firefly's peril that they will be unable to enjoy the story. The grand finale is lovely, but the story does a disservice by not acknowledging the firefly's grave danger. Charming artwork and some funny moments, marred by disingenuousness. (Picture book. 3-6)

June 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-Nina is afraid of the dark and relies on her night-light. Things get dark and scary when the electricity goes out, so she finds a firefly and puts him in a jar to replace the electric night-light. The digitally enhanced cartoon-style illustrations are mostly in black, with large bright white spotlights, which have few changes in value, even when the power goes out. The same amount of pen-and-ink cross-hatching is applied to pages when the firefly's light is dimming or when there is no light all. The illustrations, while unusual in their color scheme, and interestingly applied as elements in the layout, do not make sense visually to readers. Children who have never seen a firefly will learn very little about them since they are depicted as a tiny point of golden watercolor in an orb of bright white, without insect features. Anna Vojtech's Ten Flashing Fireflies (North South, 1997), and Eric Carle's standard The Very Lonely Firefly (Philomel, 1995), all show fireflies as glowing orbs of light while giving the basic anatomical details. At the end, Nina rightly decides to release the insect back into the night. VERDICT An additional purchase.-Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2015
Preschool-G Young Nina depends on a night-light to quell her fears of the dark. One night the electricity goes off, sending her into a panic and outside to capture a firefly. Back inside (and no longer sleepy or scared), she makes use of the insect's bioluminescence to entertain herself: reading under the covers, hosting a tea party, and making shadow puppets. When she notices the firefly's light fading, she realizes she must return him to nature, and her efforts are rewarded in the form of a special thank-you from the entire swarm. The creator of the colorful Let's Paint (2014) employs here a more limited paletteblack and white with splashes of red (Nina's clothing) and yellow (firefly light). Alborozo's upbeat, cartoon-style is particularly suited to this story, in which nighttime fears are overcome through resourcefulness and positive thinking. Pair with Eric Carle's The Very Lonely Firefly (1995) or Philemon Sturges' Ten Flashing Fireflies (1995) for a summer bedtime story hour.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)