Nocturne

Nocturne
by Jane Yolen
Illustrated by Anne Hunter

This picture book is a poetic description of the outdoors at night. I love the poetic verse, and Yolen's unique writing style truly captures the beauty of the night. She writes, "In the night, in the velvet night, in the quiltdown quietdown velvet night moths flutter up, flutter down, like wind-up toys, without the noise."

As I read many of Jane Yolen's books, I am continually amazed with her ability to capture images and moods with words. This book really feels more like a poem than a children's story book. I thought the illustrations in this book didn't quite do Yolen's words justice. In my opinion, the images of the people taking a walk look somewhat unnatural and stiff. I love the cover illustration, but most of the other pages were less enjoyable to me. Yolen's words are so sentimental and soft, I would have preferred more natural and soft images.