A child explores her neighborhood on a late-night walk with her dad, finding delight and comfort in moments of quiet and the warm windows into other people’s lives.
When a little girl can’t sleep one night, her dad asks if she’d like to go for a walk. They tiptoe through the silent house and step out into the dark.
It’s strange and exciting to be out so late. Walking down the street, the girl can see inside the lit-up windows of apartment buildings and houses where people’s lives are unfolding. Kids are having a pillow fight in one house, while a family has gathered for a festive meal in another. She and her dad reach the still-busy shopping area, walking past restaurants and enticing store windows, then stop for a tranquil moment in the park before returning home.
Sara O’Leary has captured a child’s nighttime wonder as she explores her neighborhood and comes to the comforting realization that she belongs. Ellie Arscott’s illustrations, luminous and rich in color, perfectly complement the story.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6
Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
A child explores her neighborhood on a late-night walk with her dad, finding delight and comfort in moments of quiet and the warm windows into other people’s lives.
When a little girl can’t sleep one night, her dad asks if she’d like to go for a walk. They tiptoe through the silent house and step out into the dark.
It’s strange and exciting to be out so late. Walking down the street, the girl can see inside the lit-up windows of apartment buildings and houses where people’s lives are unfolding. Kids are having a pillow fight in one house, while a family has gathered for a festive meal in another. She and her dad reach the still-busy shopping area, walking past restaurants and enticing store windows, then stop for a tranquil moment in the park before returning home.
Sara O’Leary has captured a child’s nighttime wonder as she explores her neighborhood and comes to the comforting realization that she belongs. Ellie Arscott’s illustrations, luminous and rich in color, perfectly complement the story.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6
Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Sep 29, 2020 |
| Specifications | 32 pages | 8.25 in x 10 in |
| Keywords | belonging; exploration and adventure; discovering neighborhood; child's perspective; parents and children; different perspective; nighttime wonder; bedtime story; new experience; neighborhood and community; appreciation; respect for community; child as narrator; first person narration; connecting; visualizing; imagining; Common Core aligned; CC Literature Key Ideas and Details; CC Literature Craft and Structure; grade 1; grade 4; picture book; Toronto; imagining parents as children; |
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Supporting Resources
(select item to download) |
Teacher's Guide |
| Written By |
SARA O'LEARY is a writer of fiction for both adults and children. Her highly acclaimed picture books include Percy’s Museum, illustrated by Carmen Mok; Night Walk, illustrated by Ellie Arscott; A Family Is a Family Is a Family, illustrated by Qin Leng (USBBY Outstanding International Books); and Maud and Grand-Maud, illustrated by Kenard Pak. She has also written This Is Sadie (adapted for the stage for New York City Children’s Theater) and the award-winning series of Henry books, all illustrated by Julie Morstad. Sara writes for children’s animation and teaches at Concordia University in Montreal. |
| Illustrated by |
ELLIE ARSCOTT has been sharing her love of color and paint with a wide range of clients for twenty years. She has painted scenic art for Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre and the National Ballet of Canada, and she has worked with the Toronto District School Board creating mural projects with school children. Ellie is currently painting a series of portraits for her own initiative, Girls Stand Tall, which encourages young girls to believe in themselves and their dreams. This is her first picture book. |
| Written By |
|
SARA O'LEARY is a writer of fiction for both adults and children. Her highly acclaimed picture books include Percy’s Museum, illustrated by Carmen Mok; Night Walk, illustrated by Ellie Arscott; A Family Is a Family Is a Family, illustrated by Qin Leng (USBBY Outstanding International Books); and Maud and Grand-Maud, illustrated by Kenard Pak. She has also written This Is Sadie (adapted for the stage for New York City Children’s Theater) and the award-winning series of Henry books, all illustrated by Julie Morstad. Sara writes for children’s animation and teaches at Concordia University in Montreal. |
| Illustrated by |
|
ELLIE ARSCOTT has been sharing her love of color and paint with a wide range of clients for twenty years. She has painted scenic art for Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre and the National Ballet of Canada, and she has worked with the Toronto District School Board creating mural projects with school children. Ellie is currently painting a series of portraits for her own initiative, Girls Stand Tall, which encourages young girls to believe in themselves and their dreams. This is her first picture book. |
| Audience | ages 3 to 7 / grades P to 2 |
| Reading Levels |
Guided Reading L
Fountas & Pinnel Text Level L |
| Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6 |
Winner, Crystal Kite, 2021
Commended, CCBC Choices, 2021
[A] touching book.
” —Montreal Review of BooksThis father-daughter tale is told with a sense of belonging.
” —Sal’s Fiction Addiction BlogThe satisfying bedtime story will get young listeners ready for sleep.
” —Horn Book[A] subtly reassuring story about the wonder a child experiences when she becomes aware … she truly belongs.
” —Canadian Children’s Book News