Night walk by Alison Binks
Berbay Publishing, 2018. ISBN 9780994384171
Themes: Nature; Friendship; Connection. Set on a camping holiday in
a pristine setting, Caspar leaves his tent in the middle of the
night to discover the wonders of what is there. Stars in abundance,
night creatures and trails, smells and solitude . . . and the wonder
of the natural world are there to be discovered and enjoyed. As he
reflects, he also considers what his friend will be doing on her
holiday, far away.
The illustrations in this book are delightful, and although the text
tries to capture the delight of camping and the exploration of
nature for the child who has the confidence to leave his tent alone
in the middle of the night, there is always the feeling that words
cannot really convey all that is wondrous about the night in the
natural world. (There is a little bit of caution in me for the
unsupervised walk through the bush in the dark with a torch and a
whistle, but this is evocative fiction!) The author has delightfully
book-ended Caspar's story with the experience of the natural world
across the globe for his friend Levi.
A book that could be added to a library collection for young readers
with no difficulty.
Carolyn Hull