  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 08/01/2018 PreS-Gr 1—After saying good night to his family, a night watchman makes his rounds at a construction site, checking that all is well. As he sits down to enjoy a cup of coffee, a kitten appears and accompanies him on the rest of his nightly circuit as the site grows darker and more fanciful—"An excavator bows like a strange giraffe. A backhoe rises like a giant insect." When the kitten suddenly disappears, the watchman worries until the kitten returns. This time, rather than letting the kitten go, the watchman brings him home to his family. Yoo's distinctive block print illustrations and Sullivan's spare poetic prose render a mundane construction site magical, alive with nighttime sights and sounds, and make the watchman's emotions so heartfelt, readers will worry and rejoice along with him. VERDICT Based on true events, an unusual story of friendship so deftly executed it should be welcome in most collections.—Yelena Voysey, formerly at Pickering Educational Library, Boston University - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 09/01/2018 *Starred Review* As a man prepares to head off to work in the evening, he lovingly says goodbye to his family and drives away as the sun sets, on his way to the construction site where he works as a night watchman. Against dusky blue, shadow-filled scenes, the night watchman does his rounds, walking through the lots filled with construction vehicles and half-built buildings. As he makes sure everything is in order, he comes across a small gray kitten, and the two share his meal and walk through the construction site together. The night watchman’s good heart is evident when the kitten disappears from view, and he worries as he hears sounds of dogs and cars. Luckily, the kitten returns, and young readers will be happy knowing the kitten has found a good forever home. The pithy, poetic text brings a sense of calm and wonder, and onomatopoeic words note the many sounds the watchman hears in the quiet of the dark night. Yoo’s textured, serene artwork in beautiful saturated tones perfectly complements Sullivan’s lines and conveys a beauty in the night and the construction site that readers might otherwise miss. As the kitten and the night watchman make their rounds, trucks turn into elephants, cranes into giraffes, and a regular night of work turns into a magical night filled with the promise of friendship. - Copyright 2018 Booklist. Loading...
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