In This Night

From its opening sentence (``Day ends, and quiet spreads over the countryside''), the ethereal quality of Lucht's rhapsodic narrative makes one want to read it in a whisper. As the sun sets, the nocturnal natural world comes to life. But this is no ordinary evening: ``This is the night that spring begins. The long, dark winter is over at last, and everything will be made new.'' A flock of wild geese make their seasonal return to the ``lake they call home''; toads awaken from their winter slumber and two rabbit bucks fight in the moonlight, vying for the privilege of mating with the doe. In the end, ``The light returns, and the world is made new--full of color, of hope, of life!'' This is an apt description, too, for this reassuring book, which stylishly executes its unconventional notion of the spring arriving by night. Numerous layers of acrylic paints create the book's stunning illustrations. Lucht's portrayals of the shadows cast by a lustrous moon effectively blend various shades of blue, offering a striking contrast to the roseate hues used in her interpretations of sunset and daybreak. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)