Bright Lights and Summer Nights

Crisp, rhythmic phrasing from Grant and luminous, emerald-hued artwork by Manbeck chart a child’s enchanted summertime dreams in this vividly rendered picture book. Opening amid “bright lights and summer nights,” an adult sporting a crown seems to quiet a child intent on playing. With the wave of the adult’s wand, the tot travels forth into a marvelous land of balloons, carousel rides, caramel apples, forest friends, and more. Chain verse captures the strange, segue-ing quality of dreams as it points the way toward the night’s events (“Caramel and country road// Country road and trolley ride// Trolley ride and dreamy dark”), and the outing’s more fantastical aspects come to life through glowing, green-outlined mixed-media artwork, which features depictions of children and anthropomorphized critters frolicking through a fair and riding fireflies. As the story zooms back out, a portrait of the child curled up on a cloud warmly invites readers to drift off themselves. Characters are portrayed with various, sometimes fanciful, skin tones. Ages 2–5. (May)