Title: Flashlight Night
Author: Matt Forrest Esenwine
Illustrator: Fred Koehler
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press, Sept 2017
Ages: 5-8
Themes: nighttime, adventure, flashlights, bookish inspiration
Genre: fiction
32 pages
Opening:
Flashlight
…opens up the night.
Synopsis:
Flashlight Night is an ode to the power of imagination and the wonder of books. Three children use a flashlight to light a path around their backyard at night; in the flashlight’s beam another world looms. Our heroes encounter spooky woods, a fearsome tiger, a time-forgotten tomb, an Egyptian god, a sword-fighting pirate, and a giant squid. With ingenuity, they vanquish all, then return to their tree house–braver, closer, and wiser than before–to read the books that inspired their adventure.
Why I like this book:
Often we use flashlights with kids to highlight that it was just their vivid imaginations creating the scary stuff! Here Matt and Fred turn that on its head with the gentle rhyming text and extraordinary world-building and textual artwork. The shadowy artwork perfectly matches the just slightly creepier than normal for a picture book narrative, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality but evoking children’s make-believe. Every page is its own adventure and this will need to be a slow read to allow children to enter the story of each double-paged spread.
The sparse language is poetic and emotional, and an invitation to exploration and imagination.
Leads you past old post and rail
along a long-forgotten trail
into woods no others dare,
for fear of what is waiting there.
I was fortunate enough to attend a publisher’s breakfast with the illustrator at ALA in June. Fred Koehler shared to illustration journey of this picture book, physically and metaphorically. He actually took a trip to the UK where her traveled north and south by train with is sketchbook to find inspiration from some of the ancient sites and locations for FLASHLIGHT NIGHT. The artwork packs an emotional punch as well as a visual one. Quite stunning.
Fred Koehler sharing his art journey for FLASHLIGHT NIGHT at ALA 2017
Resources/Activities:
Don’t miss this interview I did with the illustrator, Fred Koehler.
Encourage kids (just this once) to read it under their covers with their own flashlight!
Flashlight storytelling is an obvious spinoff from this story!
If you are in Florida, there is a museum display at the Polk Museum of Art in which each original piece of artwork for the book is displayed with the text beneath it; viewers are guided along so they can “read” the book as they marvel at illustrator Fred Koehler‘s work.
Find more “Perfect Picture Book Friday” reviews at Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog HERE.
In my 20's, with only my guitar and a rucksack, I wandered the continents, immersing myself in the lives of some wonderful people, projects and stories, which changed the way I view my responsibility to others and this earth. Right now I'm a European transplant in the US who writes books for children and young adults. Stories can help us not only navigate our world but can connect us to others, and allow us to inspire and help each other. I believe that equity and empathy should be at the core of our all actions, words, and stories.
I am also a school librarian and I get a kick out of book-matchmaking! And I use the pronouns she/her.
Such a clever idea for a book and perfect for Halloween. I like how the author uses the flashlights as a great adventure. I remember playing with flashlights as a child. I like your suggested activities.
I loved this book when I read it.So much in the illustrations. It is a real gem. Glad you featured it, Johanna.
This sounds like a beautiful book. Going to listen to your illustrator interview. Thanks!
I love the concept behind this book — the flashlight used to illuminate another world. So cool! I will check this one out.
Wow! That’s different and kinda spooky. Just what my nephews would love. Must look out for it. Thanks for sharing Joanna, loved the review.
Sounds really interesting!