July's Book of the Month

In WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN, Greg Pizzoli, has written and illustrated a sublime bedtime book with text that begs to be read aloud.

A child questions various creatures, beginning as the sun is, indeed, going down but while it’s still light out:

“Butterfly,
Butterfly,
Where do you go?
Where do you go
when the sun
goes down?"

And the answer:

“I go under a leaf.
I find a good leaf
and crawl underneath.
I go under a leaf
when the sun goes down.” 

More stanzas follow as the child asks little ant, mama bird, mister fish (“I go to the deep./The dark cool deep/is where I sleep”), and kitty cat the same questions while wandering indoors. With a hug, a parent turns the tables and asks the child:

“And
	what
		about
			you?
Where do you go
when the sun
goes down?”

Wherein there’s some lovely revisiting of previous spreads before the final completely cozy ending. The repeated sounds are fully satisfying, the rhythmic delivery feels fresh, and the tone is appropriately soothing.

And the art. Drawn, screen printed, and collaged, some of the pages are frameable. It’s a quiet bedtime delight.

“Good night.”

—Lynn