The Midnight Fair by Gideon Sterer illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio

My dream is that children experiencing this story can empathise with and feel kindred to the animals as they seek wonder, share love, and chase their noses in search of a grand old time. Gideon Sterer

A group of wild animals watch as a fair is set up near their woodland home. They wait until nightfall when all the people have left and then they move in. It doesn't take long for them to rev up the rides, pop the corn, and spin that candy. The merry-go-round spins and everyone has fun on those dodgem cars. As the light of dawn appears the animals begin to pack up and clear up. Then they leave carrying the spoils of the night - such as a huge teddy bear won by the bear. It all feels as though these guys have enjoyed this night of fun and magic on previous occasions. They know it is important to leave no trace. When the owner of the fair arrives he does find something though, and this is sure to make you smile.

From Picture Book Party: Far from the city, but not quite in the countryside, lies a fairground. When night falls, and the fair is empty, something unexpected happens. Wild animals emerge from the trees, a brave raccoon pulls a lever, and the rollercoasters and rides explode back into bright, neon life. Now it’s time for the woodland creatures to have some fun…

On the front end paper the animals watch as the fair arrives and on the back end paper the trucks drive away.

It takes a little thought to get your mind around the idea of an author 'writing' a wordless or, as IBBY say, a Silent Book.  Gideon Sterer lives in New York and Mariachiara lives in Rome. How did this pair of creative people collaborate? Who matched them up for this book? How did they overcome issues of language?

Publisher blurb Walker Books: Far from the city, but not quite in the countryside, lies a fairground. When night falls, and the fair is empty, something unexpected happens. Wild animals emerge from the trees, a brave raccoon pulls a lever, and the rollercoasters and rides explode back into bright, neon life. Now it’s time for the woodland creatures to have some fun…  A story that asks the ever-enchanting question what happens when there are no humans around?, and imagines the most fantastical answer. See all your favourite fairground rides – the carousel, a rollercoaster, bumper cars, tea cups, arcade games, candyfloss stands and many more! Mariachiara's artwork is packed with clever secondary narratives to follow and characters to spot on each page – children will spend hours poring over these many hidden details.

I adore the scenes where the small wolf wins a goldfish at the ring toss and then later we see the goldfish is set free.

Another wonderful page is the birds eye view of the animals spinning on the teacup ride.

Gorgeously whimsical and utterly convincing. Kirkus Star review

A spectacular, surreal and cinematic wordless picture book about the secret life of animals. Picture Book Party

Here are some other books by Gideon Sterer:

Here is another book illustrated by Mariachiara - it was an IBBY Honour Book in 2017.

I am very keen to see her illustrations in this famous book:

Another book with scrumptious illustrations of a merry-go-round that is sure to be in most Australian school libraries is The Carousel by Ursula Dubosarsky illustrated by Walter Di Qual.

Image Source: Walter Di Qual