How to Make a Night

by Linda Ashman

Have you had a bad day? Have things been zooming out of control from the moment you set your feet on the floor this morning? Are you ready for the day to be over? No problem! Just follow these instructions on how to make a Find a rope. Make a loop.
Let it loose in space.
Catch the sun. Pull it down.
Find a safe, dark place. Peel the blue from the sky.
Squirt some dye in a sink.
Dunk the blue in the dye
'til it's black like ink. In this fantastic bedtime tale, a hectic day is put to bed, and a peaceful starry night fills the sky so everyone can rest. Linda Ashman and Tricia Tusa have created a magical world in which the sun and the moon cooperate with a resourceful young girl who is ready to put her busy day behind her and settle down to a good night's sleep -- so she can wake up to another exciting day tomorrow!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

Hardcover

First published September 21, 2004

About the author

Linda Ashman is the author of more than 40 picture books and The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books . Her books have been included on the "best of the year" lists of the New York Times, IRA/CBC Children's Choices, the New York Public Library and others, and have been translated into many languages. Linda lives with her family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a bad day? Make it worse by stealing the sun from someone else’s sky. Blurry illustrations of this family’s chaotic life suggest that stargazing might be a more helpful, less labor intensive, endeavor to brighten everyone’s day and night with a wish or two.

[Kalynda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was too abstract for me.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a hectic day, it is time to bring on the night so that a child and her family can finally rest. Annotation. Have you had a bad day? Have things been zooming out of control from the moment you set your feet on the floor this morning? Are you ready for the day to be over? No problem! Just follow these instructions on how to make a night: Find a rope. Make a loop. Let it loose in space. Catch the sun. Pull it down. Find a safe, dark place. Peel the blue from the sky. Squirt some dye in a sink. Dunk the blue in the dye 'til it's black like ink. In this fantastic bedtime tale, a hectic day is put to bed, and a peaceful starry night fills the sky so everyone can rest. Linda Ashman and Tricia Tusa have created a magical world in which the sun and the moon cooperate with a resourceful young girl who is ready to put her busy day behind her and settle down to a good night's sleep -- so she can wake up to another exciting day tomorrow!

[Andrew Schoenfelder]

The hard cover of this book provides a solid structure as well as bright attractive colors. On the inside of the cover and the first piece of end paper, the author placed images of different objects that would be in the story. This will help children start predicting and get their brains working. The title page is very bright and inviting. She placed a dedication page with small, fancy text. The text throughout the story are big, bold, black letters that are placed in different spots of the page depending on where and how big the picture is. The back cover was also used for illustrations, proving that Ashman used the entire book and let nothing go to waste.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinarily imaginative “goodnight” book in rhyme showing all the things that one needs to do before night can arrive. First, one must begin to clean up the messes, presumable made during the day, like Sneaker’s in the creek and Cat spilled the juice. Linda moves on to the whimsy where one hears: clear the clouds from the sky/with a big wet mop and lassoing the sun to put it into a dark and safe place. Aside from the funny story line, Tusa uses a variety of art to illustrate, some black ink and what looks like watercolor, some cutouts of original drawings and some cut outs of photographs. It’s terrific to see. It’s a fun book for maybe four years and up.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

After a hectic, messy day, a kid actually constructs the nighttime -- sticking the sun in a pocket, splattering gold stars across the darkened sky. I couldn't help but think, "If the kid has the ability to create a calm, beautiful night, why can't the kid do something about the crazy day the family had?"

So the idea of "making" night doesn't really work, nor are the text and illustrations good or charming enough to make up for the limping concept.

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I found this book at our local used bookstore, I was so taken with the art.. but I couldn't get Boy Detective to care. So I bought it later for myself. Now he really likes it! It's a mix of drawing and collage, with a pleasant rhyme scheme that doesn't get too sing-song. If you've ever had a bad day and you just need to get everything squared away and get some sleep, this is a book for you.

[Amanda Larson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The family dynamic was a bit odd, but the story has a unique, fun concept and nice narrative flow. The illustrations at the beginning and end of the book are lovely. What I'm not fond of is the mid-book switch to a rather strange collage style that I don't understand the reasoning for on either a story or art level.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fresh look at how to turn day to night - with a great rhythmic text and vibrant, whimsical illustrations.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept and pictures. Not a traditional story

Picture Book

[Thia]

sky, night, bedtime

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but didn't. There was too much intro that didn't have anything to do with the story.

[Lydia · Rating 1 out of 5]

WEIRD

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the fence about this book. I liked the rhythm of the text, but was thrown off by the shift in illustrative style.

[Leyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was like reading poetry. The illustrations were entertaining.

[Lesley Looper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice rhythm to story, and cute illustrations.