The Midnight Library

Product Description

Perfect for bedtime reading, pay a visit to the Midnight Library where you can snuggle up for a nighttime story. There is a little library that only opens at night. In the library there is a little librarian―and her three assistant owls―who helps everyone find the perfect book. The library is always peaceful and quiet . . . until one night when some of the animals stir up a little trouble (and a little fun!) in the Midnight Library.From Kazuno Kohara, creator of the New York Times Best Illustrated book Ghosts in the House! comes a beautiful book brimming with cozy charm.

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1—Kohara’s latest picture book is tailor-made for pajama storytimes. The Midnight Library is unusual—only open from midnight until dawn. Bustling among furry and feathered patrons, a little librarian and her three assistant owls help each and every reader find the perfect book. Acknowledging that modern libraries also function as vibrant community centers where noise is accommodated, the diminutive information professional cheerfully leads a band of musical squirrels to the activity room, where they “played their instruments as loud as they liked.” As dawn approaches and the librarian prepares to close down, she patiently persuades a slowly reading tortoise to get a library card and borrow his selection—a scene which will ring familiar for many librarians. As in Ghosts in the House (Roaring Brook, 2008), Kohara employs a limited but bold palette for her sightly retro-style linocut illustrations. Thick black lines define the young librarian, her animal patrons, and the angular, teetering stacks of books. Mustard yellow, which serves as the primary color throughout, lends the nighttime setting a coziness and warmth appropriate for snuggling up for storytime. Pops of navy blue accent both the midnight sky glimpsed through windows and the dozens of library books. Kohara achieves something unique with this title: a modern sensibility with a classic aesthetic. A delightful addition to picture book collections.—Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal

From Booklist

A nocturnal little librarian in pigtails and her three owl assistants help the library’s visitors find exactly what they need in the latest from Kohara. In striking block-printed pictures rendered in thick black, dusky blue, and sunny yellow, Kohara follows the helpful midnight librarian through one night of problems—the squirrel band wants to practice their noisy new material; Miss Wolf reads a sad book and weeps rainlike tears all over the reading room; and Tortoise won’t leave at closing time. Luckily, the midnight library has resources to satisfy everyone. There’s an activity room where the band can play and a storytelling corner where Miss Wolf can listen to a happy ending; Tortoise can sign up for a library card, and, of course, there’s a perfect bedtime book for three sleepy owls. The jaunty, cartoonish illustrations depict happy animals enjoying the library for more than just reading, and cooperatively respecting everyone’s space (is there a more important library lesson?). It goes without saying that this is perfect for storytime. Preschool-Grade 1. –Sarah Hunter

Review

“Kohara achieves something unique with this title: a modern sensibility with a classic aesthetic. A delightful addition to picture book collections.” ―School Library Journal
“A nocturnal little librarian in pigtails and her three owl assistants help the library’s visitors find exactly what they need in the latest from Kohara . . . It goes without saying that this is perfect for storytime.” ―Booklist
“Kohara’s gentle story and vibrant compositions have an old-fashioned sensibility and simplicity.” ―The Horn Book
“Original, imaginative and perfect for naptime or bedtime.” ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review

About the Author

Kazuno Kohara grew up in Japan and studied printmaking in the UK. She lives in Osaka, Japan.