SUGAR GLIDER LIGHTS A WAY

When the ultimate night light is nowhere to be seen, a small mammal seeks an adequate replacement.

Eager to finish a beloved book, Sugar Glider discovers that the moon—our hero’s reliable nighttime light source—has disappeared entirely. Where did it go? A tawny owl informs Sugar Glider that the lunar entity has simply cycled into its new moon phase, but that explanation goes over Sugar Glider’s head. Undaunted and still in search of light, the protagonist turns to a variety of nocturnal creatures, including the Nighttime Knitters (an assortment of craft-loving mammals), some glowing mushrooms, and a flitting gleam that turns out to be a firefly. Soon, Sugar Glider discovers a mass of even more lightning bugs interested in sharing in the story. Sugar Glider never does locate the moon but settles on a goal kids will identify with: trying to finish a favorite story. The text is entirely made up of dialogue; much of the art is steeped in deep purples, blues, and greens, Sugar Glider moving sequentially across the pages, speech balloons peppering the page. Indeed, the tale feels like an introduction to comics. Consider pairing this with Sebastian Meschenmoser’s Mr. Squirrel and the Moon (2015), another tale of a celestial search.

Deft and sweet, this is bedtime fare where reading is the greatest prize of all.