cover image Blanche Hates the Night

Blanche Hates the Night

Sibylle Delacroix, trans. from the French by Christelle Morelli. Owlkids (PGW, dist.), $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-77147-158-9

With her round face, saucer eyes, and Louise Brooks bob, Blanche is a girl not easily cowed by bedtime: “Blanche does not like the night. Actually, Blanche hates the night!” Once Mommy’s hand flicks off the light switch and shuts the door, the warm, golden light of the hallway is replaced by a chilly bluish-gray, and Blanche gets to work. She “puts on a concert to chase away the moon and wake up the sun,” writes Delacroix as she shows Blanche singing at the top of her lungs (“LALALALALALALA!”) and beating on a toy drum. More singing follows, along with bed bouncing, both with and without her pajama top (“The moon is only good for hanging up your pajamas,” she explains), and each tactic brings an unseen but clearly none-too-pleased Mommy back to Blanche’s door. Those who fell hard for Prickly Jenny will find this story less emotionally profound and more predictable (Blanche finally runs out of steam and falls asleep), but it has lots of visual oomph and an irresistibly confident heroine front and center. Ages 3–7. (Mar.)