Publisher's Weekly Review
Captivating spreads by Di Giorgio (Professional Crocodile) tell a wordless story about a night of magic for a forest's animal denizens. Golden eyes glow in the dark as the last human closes up a pop-up county fairground and heads out. When he's gone, two enterprising raccoons throw the big power lever back on, and the animals stream in through a fence opening. Painting from close up, Di Giorgio creates the sense that viewers are part of the crowd, and bathes every spread in brilliant, theatrical light. Animals large and small ride the swings, the roller coaster, and the carousel, paying for their tickets with forest currency: blackberries, acorns, and pinecones. A wolf tosses a ring and wins a goldfish, and a hedgehog waddles by, quills studded with treats. Sterer (From Ed's to Ned's) imagines candid moments as a fox parent reclines in a spinning teacup while its kit holds on to the rim with rapt attention. Morning comes, and with it, a quiet, hurried retreat. Watching a whole forest full of creatures encounter the fair delivers a sheaf of unexpected delights--especially when they take pleasure in all the same things their human counterparts do. Ages 3--7. (Feb.)
Horn Book Review
Forest creatures emerge from the shadows to have their own nighttime fun at the county fairgrounds in this wordless and wondrous picture book. Once the humans head home for the evening, foxes, raccoons, bears, deer, and other woodland creatures break through a fence, switch on the electricity, and enjoy the fair in all its summer glory. The animals have the place cleaned up before the groundskeeper returns for another day of work, but it is a close call. A paneled layout builds suspense by showcasing simultaneous locations and events, such as the human worker arriving at dawn at the same moment the creatures are tossing trash into bins and scurrying away. Cinematic visuals include moments of humor as creatures are shown stuffing their faces with snacks, playing games, and covering their eyes on rides. The glowing watercolor, gouache, and colored-pencil illustrations are atmospheric and brilliantly rendered through lush washes of color and intriguing contrasts of dark and light, illuminating the setting and depicting an engaging tension between the wildness of the animals and the humanness of their behaviors and activities as fair-goers. In the morning, pieces of the currency the animals used (pebbles, leaves, etc.) are left on the ticket booth for the groundskeeper to discover; in the wild, a goldfish won at a carnival game is freed from its bag and set loose in a pond. This intriguing ending affords viewers the opportunity to reflect on the dreamlike narrative and ponder what happens next. Elisa Gall March/April 2021 p.74(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
What happens after the midway closes and rides shut down for the night? Forest animals--deer, bears, squirrels, a stoat, a badger or two, a wolf, a fox, rabbits, mice--peer from the shadows of trees by the field where trucks arrive to set up the county fair. They watch from the edge of the woods as the fairground fills with humans who stay late into the evening. The families leave, the caretaker pulls a large switch, and the fairground is, for a moment, dark and empty. Only the silhouettes of the creatures can be seen against the dark forest, along with many pairs of glowing eyes, moving toward the now-quiet fairground. A lively after-hours adventure follows. Two raccoons flip the switch on as furry fairgoers bring mushrooms, wildflowers, pine cones, and acorns for payment. Di Giorgio interprets Sterer's wordless tale in a rich, soft palette, with dramatic full openings and multiple detailed frames conveying the excitement, the lights, the smells of popcorn and fairground foods, the sounds of rides and riders. Even the harmless flames of the Dante's Inferno ride seem fun. Animals whirl in teacups, ride the roller coaster under the moon, and leave at dawn, tired, happy, and a bit sticky. The wolf, at the edge of a lake, releases a goldfish won at the ring-toss booth. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.1-by-22.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 21.5% of actual size.) Gorgeously whimsical and utterly convincing. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When the traveling carnival arrives and sets up near the wood, curious animals rejoice. No bear, squirrel, deer, or rabbit will be able to stay away. At closing time, night and purple darkness rule, and multiple creatures' eyes shine with anticipation. Clever raccoons break through the fence to throw the switches, and the animals scamper in. They munch on popcorn, cotton candy, and ice-cream cones; they ride through a tunnel of scary surprises, drive bumper cars, whoosh on a roller coaster, and spin round on a brightly lit carousel. A small wolf scores at ring toss and wins a goldfish swimming in a plastic bag. At sunrise, when the owner arrives to dismantle the fair, he is puzzled by a cash box filled with acorns, berries, and nuts. But by now the animals have scurried back to the forest, where they snuggle up sleepily with chips wrappers, lollipops, and prize teddy bears. In bucolic scenes, the wolf releases the goldfish into a pond where swans swim serenely, and the bear gazes forlornly at the empty field. The vibrancy of the watercolor, colored pencils, and gouache illustrations sing in full-color pages and panels and multiple perspectives. This splendid story needs no words: gorgeous landscapes celebrate nature's beauty, while luminous renderings of the carnival depict magical moments. Children will savor this glorious, wordless night to remember.
