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Imagine a...
Imagine a Night
Imagine a night when you can ride your bike right up the stairs to your bed. Imagine a night when your toy train rumbles on its tracks out of your room and roars back in, full sized, ready for you to hop on for a nighttime adventure. Imagine a night when a farmer plays a lullaby on his fiddle, and his field of sunflowers begins to dip and sway to the rhythm. Imagine a night when ordinary objects magically become extraordinary...a night when it is possible to believe the impossible.
With the intrigue of an Escher drawing and the richness of a Chris Van Allsburg painting, renowned Canadian artist Rob Gonsalves depicts that delicious time between sleep and wakefulness, creating a breathtaking, visual exploration of imagination and possibility that will encourage both children and adults to think past the boundaries of everyday life, and see the possibilities beyond.
With the intrigue of an Escher drawing and the richness of a Chris Van Allsburg painting, renowned Canadian artist Rob Gonsalves depicts that delicious time between sleep and wakefulness, creating a breathtaking, visual exploration of imagination and possibility that will encourage both children and adults to think past the boundaries of everyday life, and see the possibilities beyond.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2003
11 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
About the author
Sarah L. Thomson
70 books83 followersSarah L. Thomson has written over thirty books for young readers, including poetry, prose, fiction and nonfiction. Her recent books include Cub's BIG World, which School Library Journal called “a big must-have" and Deadly Flowers: A Ninja's Tale, which Booklist called “genuinely thrilling." She lives in Portland, Maine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
April 12, 2019
The artwork! Worth the read again and again.
December 11, 2015
A picture book.
The text, I'm afraid, is flat-footed and too closely connected to the paintings.
However, the paintings themselves are marvels of tromp l'oeil transitions between one thing and the next. Like pale reflections of clouds -- or women rising from a lake. . . a couple seemed uninspired to me, but most work well.
The text, I'm afraid, is flat-footed and too closely connected to the paintings.
However, the paintings themselves are marvels of tromp l'oeil transitions between one thing and the next. Like pale reflections of clouds -- or women rising from a lake. . . a couple seemed uninspired to me, but most work well.
July 18, 2011
As far as I gather from the end note, these "illustrations" are actually a selection of independent paintings, later put together with text. There are themes -- night, imagination, mystery -- but no story. Each image really stands on its own. Many of Gonsalves' paintings are lovely, especially the ones of the natural world, trees, sky, light and dark. His interior spaces and humans didn't always work quite as well for me. The text is pleasantly poetic but not memorable. The only lines that really struck me were the closing verse, Imagine a night...*/...when the space between words/becomes like the space/between trees:/wide enough/to wander in.
*These are the author's own ellipses. There are many of them.
*These are the author's own ellipses. There are many of them.
January 13, 2009
The illustrations are gorgeous in this book and as I read it I couldn't help but be reminded of one of my
favorite children's picture books, The Story of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Ahlsburg. Like Harris Burdick, Imagine a Night is a great story starting tool for the classroom setting or for writers looking for an inspiration thread. I enjoyed the intriguing but spare text and again the pictures are a wonderful display of nature and fantasy combined.
favorite children's picture books, The Story of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Ahlsburg. Like Harris Burdick, Imagine a Night is a great story starting tool for the classroom setting or for writers looking for an inspiration thread. I enjoyed the intriguing but spare text and again the pictures are a wonderful display of nature and fantasy combined.
July 4, 2019
The paintings by Rob Gonsalves in this book are AMAZING.
June 15, 2008
Thomson adds text to match Gonsalves' dreamy, surrealist paintings, in which snowy fields turn into beds, quilts turn into fields, and arched windows turn into hooded figures. A lovely, if sometimes spooky, fantasy book for children of all ages, which makes a good introduction to the link between art and imagination."
CIP: "Presents a night when imagination takes over and gravity does not work quite as expected."
SLJ: "Gr 4 Up-Magical realism permeates Gonsalves's large acrylic paintings, and they are essential to the lyrical text...This is a fascinating foray into the imagination and a fine discussion starter for older children."
PW: "Not quite a narrative and not quite a catalogue, this volume presents a series of hallucinatory paintings, loosely unified by atmospheric lyrics. Gonsalves specializes in optical illusions... Each of Thomson's passages begins with the title words, and implies more pleasant dreams than the artist's playful but edgy images suggest... A concluding gallery of the plates emphasizes the artificiality of the secondhand narration, but Gonsalves's work nevertheless casts a spooky spell. All ages."
CIP: "Presents a night when imagination takes over and gravity does not work quite as expected."
SLJ: "Gr 4 Up-Magical realism permeates Gonsalves's large acrylic paintings, and they are essential to the lyrical text...This is a fascinating foray into the imagination and a fine discussion starter for older children."
PW: "Not quite a narrative and not quite a catalogue, this volume presents a series of hallucinatory paintings, loosely unified by atmospheric lyrics. Gonsalves specializes in optical illusions... Each of Thomson's passages begins with the title words, and implies more pleasant dreams than the artist's playful but edgy images suggest... A concluding gallery of the plates emphasizes the artificiality of the secondhand narration, but Gonsalves's work nevertheless casts a spooky spell. All ages."
March 26, 2009
The comments I made about Imagine a Day also apply to this book - fantastic pictures with pretty ordinary text.
I preferred the light-hearted and bright Imagine a Day to the darker, spookier Imagine a Night. I also noticed that Rob Gonsalves repeated illustrative effects much more in this book - the snow->white sheets effect, the monks->windows effect, the curtains shaping our view of the outside world effect were all repeated in this book. I was disappointed about this repetition and I found these effects were what really made the books.
I preferred the light-hearted and bright Imagine a Day to the darker, spookier Imagine a Night. I also noticed that Rob Gonsalves repeated illustrative effects much more in this book - the snow->white sheets effect, the monks->windows effect, the curtains shaping our view of the outside world effect were all repeated in this book. I was disappointed about this repetition and I found these effects were what really made the books.
August 9, 2013
A strong 4 1/2 stars!
This is a beautiful book; a beautiful and lyrical invitation to let your imagination (and dreams) run free. (See my review of “Imagine a Day.”) This is the first collaboration by Sarah Thomson and Rob Gonsalves, and it’s more of a collection of poems that loosely connect Gonsalves’ paintings. However, it’s magical, beautiful, and surreal.
This is a beautiful book; a beautiful and lyrical invitation to let your imagination (and dreams) run free. (See my review of “Imagine a Day.”) This is the first collaboration by Sarah Thomson and Rob Gonsalves, and it’s more of a collection of poems that loosely connect Gonsalves’ paintings. However, it’s magical, beautiful, and surreal.
November 3, 2008
Excellent illustrations. We enjoyed "Imagine a Day" just a bit more, but both are great! A few of my kids wanted to know if there were more books like them!
July 15, 2011
Love the artwork and the author's note in the back sharing the inspiration for the book and illustrations.
Imagine a night when everyday objects and moments become extraordinary...
Imagine a night when everyday objects and moments become extraordinary...
March 29, 2012
Again, beautiful illustrations! The kids asked me to read this after we read Imagine a Day. They love, love, love the pictures. Fun read-aloud!
April 26, 2012
stellar illistration
February 21, 2024
When I was a little girl we used to go to the library as a school trip every other Wednesday. One memory I have of those days is of finding this picture book in the childrens section. I looked at the pictures but decided on not checking it out. But those pictures never left me. Later I tried finding the book again but it was never there. But I remembered bed turning into fields and blankets of snow. I never forgot those images.
Now, age 23, I decide to take up the treasure hunt again. Didn't take long actually. Found the creator Rob Gonzalves. Found the books still in the library system and ordered them.
Beautiful books.
Turns out the kids love them. (You know my little friends who visit me every day.)
Now, age 23, I decide to take up the treasure hunt again. Didn't take long actually. Found the creator Rob Gonzalves. Found the books still in the library system and ordered them.
Beautiful books.
Turns out the kids love them. (You know my little friends who visit me every day.)
June 3, 2019
Imagine A Night
Author: Sarah L. Thomson
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Copyright 2003
Illustrator: Rob Gonsalves
Interest Level: age 7-12
Personal Rating: 4
Genre: Poetry / Fantasy
Extras: Winner of the GG's
Annotation: All three of these books are a combination of poetry and illustrations that encourage the reader to find magic in everyday activities.
Imagine A Place
Author: Sarah L. Thomson
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Copyright 2005
Illustrator: Rob Gonsalves
Interest Level: age 7-12
Personal Rating: 4.3
Genre: Poetry / Fantasy
Extras: Winner of the GG's
Imagine A Day
Author: Sarah L. Thomson
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Copyright 2008
Illustrator: Rob Gonsalves
Interest Level: age 7-12
Personal Rating: 4.8
Genre: Poetry / Fantasy
Extras: Winner of the GG's
Part I: These books are a “must read” because of the outstanding illustrations produced by Rob Gonsalves. He uses acrylics to paint representational images that take on a surrealistic quality when he morphs real life objects into magical scenes. He also uses a technique that plays tricks on the eye by playing with depth perception. A small bird landing on a water fountain can look like a large bird landing on the lawn in the distance, for example.
Part II: The three books are worth studying together because they show how the artist has grown and developed his talent and technique over time. For example, Sharon Cummings (my classmate) and I read Imagine A Night first and recorded our initial impressions, which were mostly about the text. The second book we read was Imagine A Place and we found ourselves making many more comments about the illustration and how it illuminates the text. We could see improvements between the two books, such as the level of detail in the pictures that were either direct translations of the text or more figurative interpretations. An “avalanche of blossoms” was painted literally as an avalanche fading into blossom trees. At this point we formed the hypothesis that the Day book was created after the Night book, and this was confirmed by the five year gap in between the two books. Since it was such a long stretch between the two, we wondered if there was a book that came between them – this is how we discovered the Place book.
One element of poetry that I learned when I was young is that you cut out words that aren't really needed. Words like “a,” “the,” and “and” can often be omitted and the poetry is enhanced because the extra sounds and syllables that are required for verse often tarnish the quality of the sound of the poem or create breaks in the flow of the words. For example, compare the original stanza to one I have edited:
“Imagine a night...
...when the darkness
of meadow and lake
feels too quiet and deep,
and so you cut and stitch a city
from the starry sky.”
Imagine A Night
Imagine a Night
when darkness
of meadow and lake
feels quiet and deep,
so you stitch a city
from starry sky.
I cannot understand Thomson's choice to keep the smaller words in her poetry, unless it is to help younger readers understand what the text is saying in a grammatical way... except it isn't the point of poetry to teach those concepts, but to invoke feelings and wonder in the reader. Galda, Cullen and Sipe says, “Poetry is intense, an intricate combination of the sounds, meanings, and arrangement of words to call attention to something in a fresh, compelling manner.” (139). However, sometimes she uses great alliterations such as “cut and stitch a city from the starry sky” which uses the “S,” “T,” and “St” sounds repetitively. Her metaphors and similes make sense and can be understood by younger readers (“wheels grow wings”) which is very important when it comes to poetry for younger ages because if the metaphors are way too complicated, the author risks losing their audience's attention and understanding of what they've written.
Part III:
Idea #1: Share the Night book with your students first. Read it and show the pictures so they become familiar with the way the book works. Then, introduce them to the Day book, only this time, have them close their eyes as you read the poetry and try to imagine what the picture could look like. Have them describe what they think it could be, or what they would draw/paint if they were creating the illustrations. This could lead into a discussion about metaphors and similes as they try to explain with words what they see in their minds (soft like a cloud, etc). It should also help them to focus on the poetry which is overshadowed by the dramatic illustrations.
Idea #2: Using the books (and others that develop the concept of blending one scene into another, graffiti, murals, etc) have the students design a mural that could be painted on a very large piece of paper or canvas (or even the walls of the school if there is space and permission). The mural could be about ANY topic being covered in the curriculum. You could create small groups and assign each a different topic within a unit. This project could (and probably should) enlist the help of the art teacher and come after students have been taught various elements of art so that they have a wide range of techniques to choose from. When it comes to the actual creation of the mural, try to focus on techniques of paint use that students grades 3-6 can easily do such as sponge stamping. Leave the details to older students or supervise carefully, or do it yourself if there is concern about mistakes being on the school wall.
Author: Sarah L. Thomson
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Copyright 2003
Illustrator: Rob Gonsalves
Interest Level: age 7-12
Personal Rating: 4
Genre: Poetry / Fantasy
Extras: Winner of the GG's
Annotation: All three of these books are a combination of poetry and illustrations that encourage the reader to find magic in everyday activities.
Imagine A Place
Author: Sarah L. Thomson
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Copyright 2005
Illustrator: Rob Gonsalves
Interest Level: age 7-12
Personal Rating: 4.3
Genre: Poetry / Fantasy
Extras: Winner of the GG's
Imagine A Day
Author: Sarah L. Thomson
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Copyright 2008
Illustrator: Rob Gonsalves
Interest Level: age 7-12
Personal Rating: 4.8
Genre: Poetry / Fantasy
Extras: Winner of the GG's
Part I: These books are a “must read” because of the outstanding illustrations produced by Rob Gonsalves. He uses acrylics to paint representational images that take on a surrealistic quality when he morphs real life objects into magical scenes. He also uses a technique that plays tricks on the eye by playing with depth perception. A small bird landing on a water fountain can look like a large bird landing on the lawn in the distance, for example.
Part II: The three books are worth studying together because they show how the artist has grown and developed his talent and technique over time. For example, Sharon Cummings (my classmate) and I read Imagine A Night first and recorded our initial impressions, which were mostly about the text. The second book we read was Imagine A Place and we found ourselves making many more comments about the illustration and how it illuminates the text. We could see improvements between the two books, such as the level of detail in the pictures that were either direct translations of the text or more figurative interpretations. An “avalanche of blossoms” was painted literally as an avalanche fading into blossom trees. At this point we formed the hypothesis that the Day book was created after the Night book, and this was confirmed by the five year gap in between the two books. Since it was such a long stretch between the two, we wondered if there was a book that came between them – this is how we discovered the Place book.
One element of poetry that I learned when I was young is that you cut out words that aren't really needed. Words like “a,” “the,” and “and” can often be omitted and the poetry is enhanced because the extra sounds and syllables that are required for verse often tarnish the quality of the sound of the poem or create breaks in the flow of the words. For example, compare the original stanza to one I have edited:
“Imagine a night...
...when the darkness
of meadow and lake
feels too quiet and deep,
and so you cut and stitch a city
from the starry sky.”
Imagine A Night
Imagine a Night
when darkness
of meadow and lake
feels quiet and deep,
so you stitch a city
from starry sky.
I cannot understand Thomson's choice to keep the smaller words in her poetry, unless it is to help younger readers understand what the text is saying in a grammatical way... except it isn't the point of poetry to teach those concepts, but to invoke feelings and wonder in the reader. Galda, Cullen and Sipe says, “Poetry is intense, an intricate combination of the sounds, meanings, and arrangement of words to call attention to something in a fresh, compelling manner.” (139). However, sometimes she uses great alliterations such as “cut and stitch a city from the starry sky” which uses the “S,” “T,” and “St” sounds repetitively. Her metaphors and similes make sense and can be understood by younger readers (“wheels grow wings”) which is very important when it comes to poetry for younger ages because if the metaphors are way too complicated, the author risks losing their audience's attention and understanding of what they've written.
Part III:
Idea #1: Share the Night book with your students first. Read it and show the pictures so they become familiar with the way the book works. Then, introduce them to the Day book, only this time, have them close their eyes as you read the poetry and try to imagine what the picture could look like. Have them describe what they think it could be, or what they would draw/paint if they were creating the illustrations. This could lead into a discussion about metaphors and similes as they try to explain with words what they see in their minds (soft like a cloud, etc). It should also help them to focus on the poetry which is overshadowed by the dramatic illustrations.
Idea #2: Using the books (and others that develop the concept of blending one scene into another, graffiti, murals, etc) have the students design a mural that could be painted on a very large piece of paper or canvas (or even the walls of the school if there is space and permission). The mural could be about ANY topic being covered in the curriculum. You could create small groups and assign each a different topic within a unit. This project could (and probably should) enlist the help of the art teacher and come after students have been taught various elements of art so that they have a wide range of techniques to choose from. When it comes to the actual creation of the mural, try to focus on techniques of paint use that students grades 3-6 can easily do such as sponge stamping. Leave the details to older students or supervise carefully, or do it yourself if there is concern about mistakes being on the school wall.
March 18, 2023
On the cover, the artist's name is listed first, if that tells you anything. This is a picture book, yes, but older children and adults will probably appreciate the transformational art and the soaring and inspirational words more than younger children. I wonder if reading this before bed would really stimulate one's nighttime imagination. Each spread begins with the words "imagine a night". My favorite spread is the one of the fiddler farmer playing his field of sunflowers with human female faces to sleep.
May 18, 2019
I liked that this book was able to invoke your imagination with thoughts of riding bicycles upstairs and jumping so high you could soar over a forest. I do however feel that some of the pictures could likely scare a young child, especially right before bed. I think this book was an okay read, but most likely would not be a book that a child would start requesting daily as it did not hold my daughters attention for long.
May 24, 2017
At first I really loved this book but when it repeated itself a few times, it lost me. And then I realized the illustrations reminded me too much of those cheesy double image paintings I see on Venice boardwalk, the one where you're like, "Is it a face or is it a couch? It's both! So clever!" I know it's a whole legit genre of painting; I just happen to hate it.
June 2, 2021
"imagine a night...
when velvet darkness hangs
at every window,
so that our dreams
will never end"
I love Rob Gonsalves artwork! This book draws inspiration from some of this night themed paintings. There were a few stanzas that felt a little forced, but overall this was lovely.
when velvet darkness hangs
at every window,
so that our dreams
will never end"
I love Rob Gonsalves artwork! This book draws inspiration from some of this night themed paintings. There were a few stanzas that felt a little forced, but overall this was lovely.
April 5, 2018
Imagine a night is a great book about dreams or perception, which ever one you see it as. This book along with great illustrations has underlying messages. I really enjoyed this book because there are multiple ways you can imagine this book and what the story means.
February 22, 2022
I loved this poetry book. I love how every page had a different perspective of what could happen at night. But the book still all tied together. The illustrations were beautiful as well and matched the theme of night time.
March 3, 2018
Gorgeous and poetic kids' book with beautiful illustrations full of detail and optical illusions. What happens when reality and dreams collide in the night? My boys loved this one.
April 4, 2018
This book is definitely interesting and imaginative. I love that the illustrator added optical illusions. This would be the perfect opportunity to raise children's imagination and creativity to make a beautiful project.
June 7, 2018
Amazing pictures to ponder.
March 9, 2019
The paintings are incredible.
June 20, 2019
Love the illustrations!
May 25, 2020
The best children’s picture book/series!! Still remember them to this day. Had to search the internet for a very long time to find the name of them again, but I did it and I’m so happy!!
April 6, 2021
My son loves the art in these.
June 17, 2021
The companion book to imagine a day. While I liked this book, I prefer imagine a day better.
March 16, 2023
I love picture books that open up conversations and imagination journeys with a child!
June 23, 2023
Not built as a read aloud type picture book, but as a poetry book, this works. I love the idea and having students write a "Imagine a Night" poem and illustrating it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews