THE NIGHT

A dark and wordless nighttime venture leaves much to interpretation.

On a stormy evening, a bundled-up adult leaves two children home with an older caregiver, one of the kids clutching a copy of Hansel and Gretel. The children, brown-haired and rosy-cheeked, look fairly miserable as the elder feeds them and shoos them to bed, the fairy tale clearly front of mind for both youngsters. Sneaking from the house, the kids hide in a bear’s den before a lovely, long-haired stranger with cloven hooves and headlight-beam eyes leads them through forest, field, and stream to stargaze before returning them home. Sounds strange? It is. Rendered in midnight blues, deep violets, and bruised greens, this dark and eerie tale embraces its Grimm reference, blending fantastical elements with natural realism. In striking contrast to the exquisitely precise wordless nighttime scenes Di Giorgio made for The Midnight Fair (2021), written by Gideon Sterer, these textured illustrations are vague. The appearance and disappearance of characters feels abrupt, and in the absence of narration, a bit more clarity in both artistic detail and story arc would be helpful. Given both the book’s visually unsettling nature and its storyline ambiguities, this haunting pick is best suited for older readers drawn to darker fairy tales or horror stories. Characters are light-skinned.

An atmospheric read, if somewhat puzzling, and for a particular audience.