SECRETS OF THE STARS

Following Klepeis’ Secrets of the Forest (2023) and Secrets of the Ocean (2024), brief descriptions of typical animal nights.

Despite the book’s subtitle, these aren’t bedtime stories in the usual sense. Rather, they’re natural history narratives: slightly fictionalized (the author imagines the animals’ emotions) incidents in the lives of nocturnal creatures across the globe. A map helps readers locate them, though the countries lack labels. An Indian flying fox avoids a treetop belonging to “powerful males,” gives birth to a pup, and cares for it, followed by a page of bat facts. An episode set in the Florida Everglades is narrated in the second person as “you” hear and see wildlife, including a heron that narrowly escapes an alligator. A page on alligators concludes the tale. The dung beetle’s and indigo bunting’s astounding navigational abilities are among the dozens of interesting facts Klepeis has marshalled; she also covers habitats, ranges, diets, and more, like the wombat’s cube-shaped poop and rear-facing pouch. Several creatures, including the fennec fox, are both predator and prey; descriptions of the hunts provide jolts of excitement. Falkner’s realistic illustrations, in vignettes and full-page scenes, supply plenty of detail on the wildlife and their environments. Text in all caps highlights sounds such as the “BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!” of a herd of elephants or the “PI-PI-PI-PI-PI-PIEU-PIEU!” of a hornbill. The writing is informative but conversational, perfect for reading aloud.

Small scientists will revel in these wild nocturnal adventures.