a favourite book to explore night, independence and family life
/Have you ever heard the patter of little feet in the night and found toys and books scattered around the house in the morning? It used to be an almost nightly routine at our place.
HANNAH’S NIGHT
by Komako Sakai – Gecko Press, 2013
ages 0 to 8 years / picture books + heartwarmers
In this tender story Hannah wakes and, ‘surprised to find that it was still dark’, discovers that her family is soundly asleep.
She gently finds her way around, pouring milk for her cat, eating cherries without permission, and borrowing some of her sister’s precious possessions.
Then just as: 'It was starting to get light. Hannah began to yawn … and fell fast asleep.'
The power in this book:
It’s about safety in independence. Being alone, making choices alone and especially facing the night alone can be confronting. Hannah does a lovely job of showing that it’s safe to be independent—and that even when you’re alone your family can still be close.
It demystifies the night. Night can be hard to understand—who knows what happens while we’re sleeping! Hannah helps that become less of a mystery.
It reminds us that sometimes the most interesting things are hidden to our view. Unless we take a new approach. Hannah sees ‘the prettiest dove she’d ever seen’ and she sees her family sleeping, all because she was awake when she would normally be asleep.
Hannah’s Night is a sweet ode to family life, childhood and exploration. The pictures have a delicate and sleepy charm to them—perfect for settling into before bed. I love it.
Book Depository has free postage anywhere in the world and great pricing, but Amazon might be cheaper for North American readers.
Names in this book – Hannah
