Henry's Night

Henry the bear longs for sleep but discovers the magic of nocturnal animals. A quiet contemplation of nature perfect for bedtime, inspired by the life of Henry David Thoreau. What to do when you can't fall asleep? Henry the bear, based on Henry David Thoreau, wants to sleep, but the sounds of the village keep him awake. Henry takes his night jar, fills it with fireflies, and sets off to track the elusive whippoorwill to help him feel tired. Each time he draws near, the bird flies deeper into the woods, where Henry encounters many wonderful creatures. But will he ever find his night bird? This book, inspired by Henry David Thoreau's moonlit walks, shines a quiet comfort on the mysteries of nature in nighttime.

"From Henry Hikes to Fitchburg (2000) on, Johnson has surpassed all conventional biographers in presenting Thoreau's philosophy and spirit in ways that will make sense to younger readers. Here, in the series's fifth outing, he and co-author Michelin wax a bit more poetic and oblique, pairing a present-tense, free-verse journal entry to atmospherically dim scenes of the narrator (or rather, his ursine stand-in) walking, and later floating, through clouds of fireflies and cubist glimmers of rain and moonlight. Unable to sleep one birthday evening, Thoreau slips out of his bedroom and into the branches of a beech tree in hopes of finding an elusive whippoorwill. His search continues into the woods and then onto a clouded lake ("White fog spreads wide-- / it rolls from edge to edge / of all I see. / How will I get home? / I make a raft of branches...") where the night bird comes to him, perching on his head and, later, as morning brightens, singing him to sleep. A great bedtime read, as mysterious and thought-provoking as a zen koan."--Kirkus, starred review "Johnson and Michelin (Zuzu's Wishing Cake) collaborate on this ethereal addition to Johnson's Henry series, based on Thoreau's writing . . . Henry's observations appear on gray-green paper scraps, superimposed on luminous images of moonlit fields and woodlands. Although Henry is alone, Johnson's blurred pictures--in fuzzy-edged shades of lichen, periwinkle and purple--convey lush silence without menace."--Publishers Weekly "Guided by his jar of fireflies--which sparkles in beautiful white light--Henry discovers many plants and animals, jotting sketches and diagrams in the margins of the journal pages positioned on each two-page spread . . . the lulling text makes this ideal material for bedtime stragglers."--Booklist "The nocturnal hues, luminous highlights, and gently skewed perspectives of Johnson's mixed-media illustrations are a fine balance to the smaller, realistic line drawings in the diary entries tucked on the side of each spread. Rich in sounds and sensory details, the book will make youngsters feel as though they have shared this moonlight walk with Thoreau himself."--School Library Journal --

Linda Michelin never saw a room she couldn't remodel, furniture she couldn't refinish, or clothes she couldn't restyle. Henry's Night is her first book. D. B. Johnson has been a freelance illustrator for more than twenty years and has done editorial cartoons, comic strips, and conceptual illustrations for magazines and newspapers around the country. Mr. Johnson's first picture book, Henry Hikes to Fitchburg, was a New York Times bestseller and a Publishers Weekly bestseller, as well as an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists. Henry Hikes to Fitchburg also won numerous awards, including the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Picture Books and the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award. Mr. Johnson lives in New Hampshire. Visit his website at www.henryhikes.com.