A Good Night Walk by Elisha Cooper is a wonderful new picture book. As the reader you get to walk down the block, watching all of the houses, yards and people. Then you return back to the beginning, seeing that as evening falls things in each home are changing. With faceless people on a street, Cooper has created a neighborhood that could be anywhere. Filled with animals, activity and people of many colors, the street is welcoming and invites the reader to explore.
This one is perfect for smaller storytimes and lap reading, because some of the details may be lost with larger groups. The pictures will inspire discussion about neighborhoods and could lead to a project of map drawing of the children’s own block. I enjoyed that the walk is described with other senses beyond just sight, so the reader is invited to imagine smelling and hearing things. This would also make the book a good addition to a unit on the senses, and talking about what they would hear and smell at their home.