Night City

by Monica Wellington

A colorful and lavish picture book chronicles the nighttime goings-on of a bustling metropolis from hour to hour, devoting each spread to a new scene, some lively and some quiet, in which people live active lives despite the evening hours.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Monica Wellington was born in London and lived in Europe until she moved to the United States at age seven. As a child she always loved to draw and paint, but it wasn't until she went to college that she realized she wanted to be an artist for her profession. She went to the University of Michigan's School of Art to earn her BFA and studied pottery, painting and printmaking. After art school, while traveling and living in a number of different countries, she had various art related jobs, which were all good background and preparation for doing children's books. She has both written and illustrated the majority of her books. She says, "I usually start a book visually, with an idea of what I want to paint pictures about. The pictures may come first before the words for me. Both the pictures and words go through many revisions, and I am often still working on the final words after I finish the pictures." She says that doing children's books is great. "I get to have a job where I spend my days doing totally what I love to do. And it is very gratifying that my work goes out into the world and is shared with other people. I feel incredibly lucky for all this!"

Since 1994 she has taught illustration at the School of Visual Arts. She lives in New York City with her daughter Lydia.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed illustrations invite poring over again and again. Bold, bright colors and geometric patterns reflect a vibrant, culturally diverse city. A cheerful cat and playful mice appear everywhere the night workers are. Look for the little mouse that carries a golden horn throughout the book. Introduce the concepts of colors and shapes. Develop vocabulary by fruits and vegetables, transportation, music instruments, and other objects. Signs and labels provide environmental print for children learning to read. The color of the sky changes from golden sunset, dusky purple and blue of twilight, midnight blue, rosy dawn, and bright yellow morning. Search for clocks and watches that tell the time. Allusions to famous paintings include Munsch's "The Scream," Hopper's diner from "Nighthawks," Van Gogh's "Starry Night," Dali's melting clocks from "The Persistence of Memory."

[Amy (Bossy Bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the peeks at artists, dancers, waitstaff, policemen, and night watchmen staying busy all over the city. The tired, cranky crowd at the diner at 4 am is my favorite.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chronicles each hour something that happens at night in a city, great overview of lots of professions, great connections to social studies. Like how mice and cat appear in every picture.

[Matthew Greene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed the art work I was slightly disappointed at the story line.