Night Lights

by Steven Schnur, Stacey Schuett (Illustrator)

Each night before she goes to bed, Melinda counts the lights. Beginning with one, the night-light on her wall, she counts up to twenty airplanes. But she doesn't stop there! In ever greater panoramic sweeps, her imagination carries her farther and farther away from her home as she reaches big numbers such as fifty, one hundred, one thousand, all the way up to one million and the most distant lights of all - the stars in the sky. With a simple, poetic text and luminous artwork, Steven Schnur and Stacey Schuett have carried the counting book to new numerical heights.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 7, 2000

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl named Melinda lists the various nighttime lights in this bedtime counting book from author Steven Schnur and illustrator Stacey Schuett. From one seashell nightlight on her wall to twenty flying planes, the rhyming narrative lists the lights one might see at night, before jumping to fifty (pond-reflected moons), one hundred (lightning bars), and one million (stars)...

Published in 2000, Night Lights is the second picture book from this team that I have read, following upon their Spring Thaw , published that same year. I found it quietly engaging, and think it could make a soothing bedtime selection. That said, although I found Schuett's illustrations here quite lovely—the scene with the nine raccoons was my favorite—this isn't going to become a favorite, either as a bedtime selection or as a counting book. Those looking for such fare might want to take a look, but I don't know that it's necessary to exert oneself to seek it out.

[Melissa Swistek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A counting book identifying things you might see from out of or near your bedroom window in the city.
Gorgeous illustrations.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a vivid book about a little girl who likes counting the lights at night before she goes to bed. The imagery is very soft and the portrayal of the lights is nice with a soft glow in most scenes. My daughter in particular got a kick out of how the number of lights suddenly increase toward the end, and she laughingly tries to count the thousands of lightning bolts, and then millions of stars. It is a good way to practice their numbers from 1 to 20, and also get ready for bed!

[Sara Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Informational book/poetry
Age: 3 and up
Summary: This counting book explores the inside of a girl named Melinda's house after dark, and the busy city outside her window at night. Melinda counts logs in the fire, street lights, headlights, tv sets shining through people's windows, and lanterns on the lawn.
Reflection: This is a great counting book with neat ideas and beautiful illustrations.

[Samantha Penrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations.
Counts from one to twenty things in the neighborhood, and then jumps to fifty reflected moons, one hundred bolts of lightening, one thousand exploding fireworks, and one million stars.
I think it would be best for a child who is reading on their own, as you are obviously unable to count everything together. It is nice for admiring the illustrations of a city night....

[Nura · Rating 2 out of 5]

beautifully colored.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really a barebones taste of writing. I like it for what it is though there isn't a lot to it. Still nicely done. Good counting book.

[JS · Rating 2 out of 5]

Best thing about this book: Getting to say the author and illustrator's names every time we read it to my daughter. Schnur! Schuett!

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a simple, soothing counting book that depicts different lights at night. The narrative is short and the colors are muted. It would be good for a bedtime read.