THE NIGHT JOURNEY

Here's a clever book—using a combination of clear acetate windows and sliding panels, Dowling plays with the transformation of darkness into light. The story—of Nicky and his father cruising through the night in a car, driving through the country and then the city on their way to a secret destination, which turns out to be a fireworks display—plays second fiddle to the book's mechanical pleasures. Pull a tab and an owl is revealed, or headlights cut through the gloom. The panels meant to convey the flickering light of stars, or the strobe effect of a marquis, are illustrated in such a way as to leave some images in shadow, others half-lit, and others fully illuminated. The final pages of this brief book attempt to approximate fireworks, with a profusion of color. The pull tabs are good and sturdy, capable of withstanding repeated yanks. The only problem is that the text—Nicky's various where-are-we-goings and Dad's vague answers—is not half as interesting as the engineering. (Picture book. 3-6)