Fifteen words and phrases that all include “light” are linked to form a story around the many sources of light found after dark. The story opens with a girl and her mother heading home in the evening on their bikes, headlights lit, beneath streetlights. The glow of their porch light shows a happy dog meeting them at the door. The backyard birthday celebration that follows includes the candlelight of a cake and firefly light. Lightning sends them indoors, where the bathroom light gives way to the reading light, and eventually, the bedroom night-light. The storm moves on, and moonlight shines on the sleeping girl. The book concludes with the one absence of the word “light”: “good night.” Illustrations created with charcoal on paper and digital collage fill in the gaps between the words, forming an inviting bedtime story for children who may be inspired to identify sources of light from their own nighttime rituals. (Ages 2–5)

The night is full of lights in this warm bedtime story. Susan Gal tells the story of a child's evening routine through all the different kinds of lights that shine in the night. From the porch light by the front door, to the firelight (and firefly light!) of a backyard cookout, and the candles on a cake, everything seems to glow in this warm and cozy book. When the lightning of a sudden summer storm sends the action inside, there is light there tooa bedside light to read by, a flashlight to make shadows with, a night-light to keep you company, and the moonlight for sweet dreams. This reassuring reflection of a child's world makes a wonderful bedtime story, and would be sure to soothe any lingering fears of the dark. A warm, friendly, shining debut from a very talented new author-illustrator. From the Hardcover edition.