Elsa and the Night

Swedish writer-illustrator Mellgren’s eccentric story offers the emotional depth of a novel and artwork worth a gallery showing. Crisp, silkscreenlike spreads in plum, sienna, umber, and olive tell the story of Elsa, a badger who finds a cloudy blob of something “neither an animal nor a ghost” in her apartment. She recognizes the intruder as fearful, wriggly Night; she shuts the thing in a cake tin with some raisins and puts it in the basement. Without night, though, life in Elsa’s town grinds to a halt. Fatigue and heat set in, and she gives in and lets the Night out: “The Night has shrunk and gone a bit pale around the edges, but at least it has eaten some of the raisins.” Now, unexpectedly, crusty Elsa becomes the vulnerable one, while Night becomes her comforter and confessor. She tells Night about her years at sea, her career as a lighthouse keeper, about her beloved elephant Olaf and his death, while Night listens and strokes her hair. Strange and memorable, it’s the kind of story whose fans will be passionate, if not necessarily numerous. Ages 3–8. (Aug.)