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The Night Box
Max has a key and a box of midnight blue.
When he turns the key in the lock –
WHOOSH!
Day slips inside as Night sweeps out.
Darkness tumbles into the air.
It dances and whirls around the room.
It goes under the bed, under the chair – everywhere!
When he turns the key in the lock –
WHOOSH!
Day slips inside as Night sweeps out.
Darkness tumbles into the air.
It dances and whirls around the room.
It goes under the bed, under the chair – everywhere!
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2017
5 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Louise Greig
21 books11 followersLouise Greig is a poet and children's picture book author. She lives in Aberdeen, Scotland, and when she's not busy telling stories, she is the director of a rescue home for dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
December 15, 2018
Night soars, streams, stretches
up to the sky like a kite,
and suddenly a thousand stars
sparkle and fizz, shine and spin.
This way, they say to a swan.
Where is she going?
She beats her strong white wings
and honks one word -
home
June 29, 2019
An elegantly written and illustrated picture book with a surprisingly sweet angle on light and day, that each night a boy unlocks night from a box to reveal it's particular special characteristics. If I had to remark on one thing I liked best it would be occasional spots of the writing:
Day slips out of the leaves
Darkness tumbles into the air. It dances and whirls around the room.
Night soars, stream, stretches
up to the sky like a kite,
and suddenly a thousand stars
sparkle and fizz, shine and spin
Night is gentle. It floats down to the ground like a feather.
Day slips out of the leaves
Darkness tumbles into the air. It dances and whirls around the room.
Night soars, stream, stretches
up to the sky like a kite,
and suddenly a thousand stars
sparkle and fizz, shine and spin
Night is gentle. It floats down to the ground like a feather.
June 28, 2017
Described as a bedtime book on the back of the book and from initial reviews, I found it to be far more than this seeing it as a celebration of poetry and power of language to embrace the natural world that is all around us yet seldom considered. A young boy seems to live in a house with his mother and cat. Upon him he holds a key which unlocks day and night, letting them out at their respective times. When he does so, both aspects play their part in embracing the landscape and its denizens. Not only does the book celebrate the beauty that the night brings but also encourages the child reader to embrace it too. Lindsay's beautiful illustrations tread between double-page spreads to single depending on mood and landscape. Great care has also been taken with regards to positioning of text and it's clear that there has been a real sense of collaboration between illustrator and poet. Interesting to note that Greig, a poet from Aberdeen, has already won the Caterpillar children's poetry prize.
March 24, 2019
What a beautiful concept of night and day. The illustrator uses color versus shades of grey. She brings the night alive with all the nocturnal animals. Night wraps the little child in strength and silence and there is no fear of darkness. Gave as a gift for a first birthday!
October 25, 2019
2.5 I like the concept but the text is a bit underwhelming.
August 2, 2017
Digital art and I recently have have a bit of a fall out, it's not that I hate it, it's more that my current tastes have slightly changed recently.
This might be because I'm going to a University that focuses a little bit more on the Illustrator than Photoshop side of things and that traditional type work has more of focus, although digital work is still encouraged. I'm sure my tastes will change in like another five years, but currently I'm more excited about picture-books that have a hand-crafted quality to them. So it might just be my current taste in illustration didn't exactly align for this picture book. I loved this digital work Benji Davies did for the Storm Whale, but for this picture book, I wasn't exactly feeling a thrill looking at the illustration.
However, I do think some of these pages in this picture book felt a little half finished and scribbly. Scribbly can look good in a picture book, but with this I feel like there was too much empty space to really make it work.
The writing itself was okay, it does a good job of describing and illustrating the night and the dark to children in a way that feels safe and reassuring. So if a child is scared of the dark, this might be the book for them.
This might be because I'm going to a University that focuses a little bit more on the Illustrator than Photoshop side of things and that traditional type work has more of focus, although digital work is still encouraged. I'm sure my tastes will change in like another five years, but currently I'm more excited about picture-books that have a hand-crafted quality to them. So it might just be my current taste in illustration didn't exactly align for this picture book. I loved this digital work Benji Davies did for the Storm Whale, but for this picture book, I wasn't exactly feeling a thrill looking at the illustration.
However, I do think some of these pages in this picture book felt a little half finished and scribbly. Scribbly can look good in a picture book, but with this I feel like there was too much empty space to really make it work.
The writing itself was okay, it does a good job of describing and illustrating the night and the dark to children in a way that feels safe and reassuring. So if a child is scared of the dark, this might be the book for them.
October 22, 2019
Good examples of onomatopoeia and good use of language.
October 5, 2020
Beautifully illustrated and written story. This book is poetic and makes good use of onomatopoeias throughout.
April 26, 2021
Η παιδική λογοτεχνία στα ωραία της!! Μηνύματα χέρια διδακτισμό και να μας κουνάει κάποιος το δάχτυλο!! Το κείμενο βοηθά το παιδί να φτιάξει εικόνες και να αναπτύξει τη φαντασία του.
October 24, 2019
A lovely story that explores the relationship between day and night in a beutiful and inventive metaphor of the nightbox which is controlled by a child. This book is full of personification and other literay devices that would be great to use with children.
September 24, 2019
I love the poetic and onomatopoeic qualities of this book.
It would be a perfect read for interactive kids who like to stretch and make shapes with their bodies and lots of funny noises.
A wonderful metaphor that children will easily understand as well.
It would be a perfect read for interactive kids who like to stretch and make shapes with their bodies and lots of funny noises.
A wonderful metaphor that children will easily understand as well.
October 22, 2018
A box is filled with a ton of surprises Lovely illustrations
January 4, 2020
Poetic, atmospheric and beautifully illustrated. I loved this so much and my daughter was enthralled!
January 29, 2022
Şiirsel. Karanlığa dair güzel bir yorum.
April 30, 2023
This is a very beautifully and originally written story. There is a flow to the words and nowhere could I predict them. It was very attention-getting to me for that reason.
December 18, 2018
While the art is absolutely stunning (I am seriously in love with it), and the story in itself cute, I found the text to be too poetic, too whimsical. I'm 24 years old, and even I struggled to read it at times. I suppose that might be the autism talking, so when you think of reading this to your child, make sure they understand such language.
It's a lovely way to show children the night itself is nothing to be afraid of, I just wish there wasn't as much figurative language in it.
It's a lovely way to show children the night itself is nothing to be afraid of, I just wish there wasn't as much figurative language in it.
December 9, 2018
An elegant, poetic and incredibly illustrated read that would make for beautiful bedtime reading, The Night Box tells the story about a young boy named Max who carries the key to a magical, wondrous box that holds and releases Day and Night. As the story begins we see Max playing outside with what appears to be a golden key on a red yarn around his wrist. As his mother calls to him that "it's time for bed" "Max waves goodbye" as sleepy Day waits for Max to turn the "key in the Night Box". What will happen when Max turns the key? How does the Night Box work? In a gorgeous spread, readers see "Day slips inside as Night sweeps out" with a great swath of grey and then: "Darkness tumbles into the air. It dances and whirls around the room. It goes under the bed, under the chair- everywhere!". In beautiful prose, Greig describes the often-considered scary parts about nighttime (e.g. the suddenly loud noises, the strange taps on the window), and presents them as everyday, nice things we don't need to fear. At Night, readers get to see the world beyond Max's window, with a look at the animals who rest at Night, and those that play. The Night Box paints an enchanting and altogether tranquil look at the turn from day to night, emphasizing marvels in the world as well as childhood comforts like "a bear and a soft, warm bed". The close of the story comes as Night now begins to feel sleepy, Day begins to stir, and as Max opens the box, "a new song begins". Overall, The Night Box is a truly lovely, tender, and imaginative picture book that makes for perfect bedtime reading...or for readers looking for a little escape into quietude and delight.
I received copies of this title courtesy of Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.
November 22, 2018
A delicate tale about a boy's discovery of day and night and the cyclic nature of the day. 'The Night Box' revolves around an investigation into the world in the day and how the light impacts every part of the world, and the world in the night and how the dark provides different yet still as beautiful ideas and revelations.
The narrative throughout this text is intricate and well planned out. Each part of the story encompasses the reader in a true sense of awe and wonder and when traced alongside the investigatory narrative it allows for the reader to think about the differences in their own world and how these are similar and or different. Which allows, for this book to be built into a KS1 classroom very easily built around a theme of 'Our World' or allowing children to consider how their world differs around the day and night.
The illustrations within the text are as equally intricate and delicate as the narrative. Each illustration needs to be focused on and each part of the page analysed with the children in the classroom- if you don't give children the time to investigate these you really are robbing the children of a truly investigatory experience! I think it would be great to provide children with the chance to replicate this story but about their own world and allow each child to think about how their night box affects their day and night lives.
Overall, I really enjoyed this text and think it would be a fabulous addition to any KS1 classroom. Implementing this book in a KS1 classroom, would allow for children to relate their world to the often abstract world of literature.
The narrative throughout this text is intricate and well planned out. Each part of the story encompasses the reader in a true sense of awe and wonder and when traced alongside the investigatory narrative it allows for the reader to think about the differences in their own world and how these are similar and or different. Which allows, for this book to be built into a KS1 classroom very easily built around a theme of 'Our World' or allowing children to consider how their world differs around the day and night.
The illustrations within the text are as equally intricate and delicate as the narrative. Each illustration needs to be focused on and each part of the page analysed with the children in the classroom- if you don't give children the time to investigate these you really are robbing the children of a truly investigatory experience! I think it would be great to provide children with the chance to replicate this story but about their own world and allow each child to think about how their night box affects their day and night lives.
Overall, I really enjoyed this text and think it would be a fabulous addition to any KS1 classroom. Implementing this book in a KS1 classroom, would allow for children to relate their world to the often abstract world of literature.
February 2, 2019
A red-headed, light-skinned boy controls dusk and dawn - he unlocks a box using his key.
When the laundry is taken in, the shadows seem to lengthen, but night doesn't yet fall - not until he opens his box..."WHOOSH! Day slips inside as Night sweeps out./Darkness tumbles into the air."
Although poetical and lulling, it doesn't make one bit of sense, and the false explanation has no relation whatsoever to a scientifically accurate description of twilight, dusk, dawn, and daybreak - not the slightest parallel or metaphor is provided, only a listing of things that change when day becomes night.
The list of things that happen at night jumps around, from the boy's house to the surrounding forest, to the ocean, back to the forest outside his house, then into his room.
Then, "When night falls asleep.../Max opens the box and WHOOSH! Night slips inside as Day sweeps out./Day breathes into the leaves, quiet flies out of the trees, yellow rises from the rooftops, and a new song begins."
The illustrations look like they might be acrylic paintings with colored pencil used for highlights, shadows, and details, and are lovely - warm in the sunlight, cool in the dark, with animals that look both cute and realistic at the same time.
When the laundry is taken in, the shadows seem to lengthen, but night doesn't yet fall - not until he opens his box..."WHOOSH! Day slips inside as Night sweeps out./Darkness tumbles into the air."
Although poetical and lulling, it doesn't make one bit of sense, and the false explanation has no relation whatsoever to a scientifically accurate description of twilight, dusk, dawn, and daybreak - not the slightest parallel or metaphor is provided, only a listing of things that change when day becomes night.
The list of things that happen at night jumps around, from the boy's house to the surrounding forest, to the ocean, back to the forest outside his house, then into his room.
Then, "When night falls asleep.../Max opens the box and WHOOSH! Night slips inside as Day sweeps out./Day breathes into the leaves, quiet flies out of the trees, yellow rises from the rooftops, and a new song begins."
The illustrations look like they might be acrylic paintings with colored pencil used for highlights, shadows, and details, and are lovely - warm in the sunlight, cool in the dark, with animals that look both cute and realistic at the same time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2020
I originally picked up Louise Greig's The Night Box, illustrated by Ashling Lindsay, because it was exceptionally pretty, with a whimsical art style and hand-lettered title (and if we're being honest, because of the fox on the cover!). What I found when I read it was a lovely book all-around, with evocative prose, beautiful word choices, and a message about the day ending, the night beginning, and the rhythms of that shift at dusk. The title refers to the metaphor/personification of nighttime living in a locked box, and being mischievous and kind when it is "unleashed" and chases away the day. Nocturnal animals come out to play while others bed down, and the pastoral scenes are gorgeously detailed by Lindsay.
This book is destined to be great bedtime reading, especially to reassure little ones that the dark isn't something to be feared, but to be welcomed. It may not help children already convinced of monsters under the bed, but the comforting and thoughtful text and detailed and whimsical art are sure to be a hit with parents and kids alike.
Recommended for: bedtime story fodder, readers of all ages who want to chase away nighttime's bad reputation, and anyone who appreciates a gorgeously-illustrated picture book.
This book is destined to be great bedtime reading, especially to reassure little ones that the dark isn't something to be feared, but to be welcomed. It may not help children already convinced of monsters under the bed, but the comforting and thoughtful text and detailed and whimsical art are sure to be a hit with parents and kids alike.
Recommended for: bedtime story fodder, readers of all ages who want to chase away nighttime's bad reputation, and anyone who appreciates a gorgeously-illustrated picture book.
June 9, 2019
I read this aloud to my dog, and she complained that there weren't any dogs in it. A valid complaint! Other than that glaring lack, this was lovely.
This would make a lovely night time read, sometimes the words sing-song and rhyme, sometimes they just flow along. The "night box" is a brilliant idea that I've never seen before in a children's book.
The art is simplistic and charming with a soothing, limited palette of white, black, beiges, blue-greys and a soft burnished red-orange.
Two complaints:
- it was a bit long. My dog was happy enough to have her belly rubbed, but I think a toddler might become fidgety. Know your audience.
- the night animals that come out are a fox, an owl, a badger, a mole, and a kitten. That's nice, but I couldn't stop thinking about how four of those animals will try to eat the fifth. Especially when:
and that's just weird. Why would a goose want a mole? Why would a rose want a fox? I think the fox would want the mole! To eat it!
This would make a lovely night time read, sometimes the words sing-song and rhyme, sometimes they just flow along. The "night box" is a brilliant idea that I've never seen before in a children's book.
The art is simplistic and charming with a soothing, limited palette of white, black, beiges, blue-greys and a soft burnished red-orange.
Two complaints:
- it was a bit long. My dog was happy enough to have her belly rubbed, but I think a toddler might become fidgety. Know your audience.
- the night animals that come out are a fox, an owl, a badger, a mole, and a kitten. That's nice, but I couldn't stop thinking about how four of those animals will try to eat the fifth. Especially when:
Night gives a moon to the pond.
And a mole to a goose!
Now a rose has a fox.
And a kitten? She has the milk!
and that's just weird. Why would a goose want a mole? Why would a rose want a fox? I think the fox would want the mole! To eat it!
October 9, 2018
The Night Box by Louise Greig, illustrated by Ashling Lindsay. PICTURE BOOK. Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), 2017. $18. 9781328850935
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE.
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
In this very poetic text, a young boy and the world around him are getting ready for bed. Everything transitions very smoothly from day to evening and then when the boy gets to his room for the night he unlocks a box that slowly gathers the light and lets out darkness.
This is the perfect book for kids scared of the dark. It is such a peaceful meditation on how nighttime is dark but not scary. In my first reading, I thought it was too slow and drawn out, but then on a second reading I realized that the pace is part of the effort to reduce anxiety about darkness. The art has a nordic oil painting look that is aesthetically pleasing for adults and soothing for kids.
Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE.
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
In this very poetic text, a young boy and the world around him are getting ready for bed. Everything transitions very smoothly from day to evening and then when the boy gets to his room for the night he unlocks a box that slowly gathers the light and lets out darkness.
This is the perfect book for kids scared of the dark. It is such a peaceful meditation on how nighttime is dark but not scary. In my first reading, I thought it was too slow and drawn out, but then on a second reading I realized that the pace is part of the effort to reduce anxiety about darkness. The art has a nordic oil painting look that is aesthetically pleasing for adults and soothing for kids.
Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
March 31, 2023
That happens at night, when Max is sleeping? What, specifically, happens around him?
Definitely an interesting question to ask; there are so many ways to answer this same questions.
FIRST, AUTHOR LOUISE PERSONIFIES DAY
So it can actually "inch like a snail."
Personally, I find this a stretch. Altogether, I don't find it the least bit comfortable. (Or comforting.)
THE SPOONS STOP CLINKING. THEY WINK TO THE KETTLE.
So many inanimate objects turn animate. And maybe volitional.
Is this comforting to a child?
Opposite to comforting for this adult!
MAX'S MOTHER SWEETLY SAYS GOODNIGHT.
"Then she is gone."
YOU GET THE IDEA, GOODREADER. THIS IS A FANTASY VERSION OF WHAT HAPPENS AT NIGHT
I'm giving this book FIVE STARS, in case some of you readers enjoy this approach.
If I were three years old, and my mother insisted on reading it to me every night, I'd have nightmares.
Definitely an interesting question to ask; there are so many ways to answer this same questions.
FIRST, AUTHOR LOUISE PERSONIFIES DAY
So it can actually "inch like a snail."
Personally, I find this a stretch. Altogether, I don't find it the least bit comfortable. (Or comforting.)
THE SPOONS STOP CLINKING. THEY WINK TO THE KETTLE.
So many inanimate objects turn animate. And maybe volitional.
Is this comforting to a child?
Opposite to comforting for this adult!
MAX'S MOTHER SWEETLY SAYS GOODNIGHT.
"Then she is gone."
YOU GET THE IDEA, GOODREADER. THIS IS A FANTASY VERSION OF WHAT HAPPENS AT NIGHT
I'm giving this book FIVE STARS, in case some of you readers enjoy this approach.
If I were three years old, and my mother insisted on reading it to me every night, I'd have nightmares.
September 18, 2019
This book is an interesting story about day and night, day and night are personified as day ‘yawns’ and night is ‘kind’. It shows what Max, a young boy, does in the evening and when he goes to bed and ‘unlocks’ night, along with how everything in the house, such as the kettle, has a rest or goes to sleep and the nocturnal animals outside come out to play. The illustrations add to the story with their use of bright/warm and dark colours to emphasise the day/night transition. Due to the portrayal of night and day it would be suitable for children from year 1 as some FS children may not fully understand this concept. It could link with studying night and day in science, as well as nocturnal animals.
April 12, 2019
Greig, Louise. The Night Box. Clarion Books. 978-1-328-85093-5. T $17.99 (Grades pre-K -2). As the day ends and Max gets ready for bed, everything seems to be waiting. Waiting as Max gets into his pajamas, waiting as he closes the curtains, waiting as he crawls into bed and kisses his mother good night. Waiting for Max to take out his key and and open the night box. As the box is opened the day slips in and all of the sights and sounds and wonders of night tumble out and across the world. The language in this story is rich and melodic in its description of the sights and sounds of both day and night. A clever, calm and imaginative bedtime story for those afraid of the dark.
August 18, 2018
This was so cute!! And probably one of the most, if not the most, creative descriptions of an everyday occurrence. To imagine that a boy has all of nighttime in a box, and it's his responsibility to let it out and get it to come back in every night and morning! And those illustrations! They're just absolutely wonderful. This book is so imaginative and fun and darling, and it's just perfect for a goodnight story for your little ones.
Review cross-listed here!
Review cross-listed here!
January 10, 2019
If you read bedtime stories to someone, this is a book you absolutely need to own. The story is pure poetry, about how night comes and the changes it makes to the world, and then it recedes again to allow day to resume its place. An absolute delight to read aloud, to savor the words and the imagery. This is a poem that doesn't even need pictures, but it is enhanced by the lovely drawings, watching Max get ready for bed, and then for night to come alive. Absolutely charming. I want to get my own copy so I can read it to myself before bed.
December 27, 2023
THE NIGHT BOX is a gorgeous narrative, in word and image, that will bring calm and reassurance to anyone who needs extra comfort at the moment "darkness tumbles in the air...dances and whirls around the room." Young readers will be able to relate to Max as he prepares and learns to welcome the night as much as the day, beautifully described in lines such as "Max holds on tight as darkness swirls and spills like ink into the world" and in the morning when "Day breathes into the leaves."
The beautiful lyricism of each line will have audiences re-reading this book for many bedtimes.
The beautiful lyricism of each line will have audiences re-reading this book for many bedtimes.
October 14, 2018
This book is gorgeous and filled with creative imagery, personification, and stunning artwork. I could see it working best with an older crowd, as it is very text-heavy. To me, this is one of those picturebooks really written for adults. I loved the language and the concept of a box that holds night and day. I do feel like the story makes animals and night seem very safe and tame when I think of night as especially wild.
December 17, 2022
Max has a key and a box of midnight blue.
When he turns the key in the lock –
WHOOSH!
Day slips inside as Night sweeps out.
Darkness tumbles into the air.
It dances and whirls around the room.
It goes under the bed, under the chair – everywhere!
Ashling Lindsay, Illustrator! Beautiful!! Used shadows, light and layout very fresh and lovely. Cutpaper, gouache, digital, layout!!
2017, Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
When he turns the key in the lock –
WHOOSH!
Day slips inside as Night sweeps out.
Darkness tumbles into the air.
It dances and whirls around the room.
It goes under the bed, under the chair – everywhere!
Ashling Lindsay, Illustrator! Beautiful!! Used shadows, light and layout very fresh and lovely. Cutpaper, gouache, digital, layout!!
2017, Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews