Begin with the title - Night Lunch - what could that mean? We don't eat lunch at night. Hold on - look closely at the cover. You can see an owl and a tiny mouse. Owls are creatures of the night. Mice - oh no - they are usually food for owls. Is this little mouse with his tiny broom going to be the actual lunch for the owl? I'm not sure I am brave enough to read this book.
When you open this book, several things will stand out. The nighttime colour palette - plum, purple, chocolate brown, golden yellow and touches of cream to highlight the lamps and candles. You will also notice the page design where the text is under every double spread on a white strip - black text on white - very easy to read and also allows readers to linger over the illustrations. You can almost hear the clip clop of the horse pulling the cart along the cobbled streets - think about the way Dena Seiferling has interpreted the text from Eric Fan. I continue to marvel at this process where an illustrator is sent words on a page (possibly just one piece of paper) and using their imagination they create a whole story world.
Now look at the text and this repeated pattern -
Sweep sweep, dust and leaf.
Drip drop, coffee's hot.
The night lunch cart rolls into the deserted streets and the nocturnal animals gather for their lunch. Who arrives? Porcupine, fox, badger, moths, bats, possums, and cats. Where is the owl? Where is the mouse? The owl is the cook - making sandwiches, eggs, sausages, puddings, butter rolls and biscuits. You will also spy cinnamon scrolls in the illustrations and delicious looking pies.
As dawn approaches the night lunch cart packs up. There are crumbs that need sweeping. Do you remember the mouse had a broom?
Blurb from the author site: “Noses sniff the air as mouthwatering smells waft down city streets, luring growling bellies to the Night Owl. Inside this elegant, horse-drawn establishment, a feathery cook works the grill, serving up tasty dishes for shift-workers and opera-goers alike: a mince pie for Fox, a ham sandwich for Badger and puddings for little Possums. Mouse, a poor street sweeper, watches as the line of customers swells, ever hopeful that someone will drop a morsel of food — but Owl’s cooking is far too delicious for more than a crumb to be found. As the evening’s service winds down, weary Owl spots trembling Mouse. Has he found his own night lunch, or will he invite this small sweeper inside for a midnight feast for two? From the imagination of two acclaimed picture book creators, together for the first time, this dreamlike picture book is a magical ode to Victorian lunch wagons. Evoking the sounds, sights, smells and tastes of the city at night, Night Lunch reveals how empathy and kindness as well as dignity and gratitude can be found — and savored — in the most unexpected places.”
Awards:
- New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books 2022
- 2022 Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award.
- Quill & Quire’s Books of the Year.
- Powell’s Best Books of 2022.
- Indigo’s Best Kids Books.
- Chicago Public Library’s Best Picture Books
I adore ALL books by the Fan Brothers and one day I will be able to buy Scarecrow (it is way too expensive here in Australia at AU$40).
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