Night Life
Donna Somboonlakana
Outskirts Press (2018)
ISBN 9781478792390
Reviewed by Eliana (age 8) and Noelle (big sister) for Reader Reviews (10/18)
When we go to sleep the animals of the night wake up and begin their day. From small, medium, and large, these animals come from a variety of species, all with one thing in common: they are nocturnal. Nocturnal meaning these animals are active at night and sleep during the day. They have a heightened sense of smell, hearing, and highly developed eyesight to help them see in the dark. We might not always see them, but they are out there going about their lives just like the animals of the day do. From the bats up in the sky, the raccoons on the ground, and the rats down below; the earth is teeming with life in the night. Join us as we go over some of the most well-known nocturnal critters and learn about what makes them so special in rhyme.
“Night Life” by Donna Somboonlakana is an educational book about the animals that inhabit the earth when the rest of us are sleeping. Most of us do not know much about these creatures and this book helps us fill in the gaps. My sister and I enjoyed learning about them together and were both pleasantly surprised by some of the new facts we discovered. In fact, I think we learned something new every page! One of the most interesting items was that rabbits are crepuscular animals: animals that are active during twilight. This means that they are active during the periods of dusk and dawn. For some reason I had always thought they were diurnal; animals that are active during the day. The art was a nice touch for each animal featured in the book and my sister loved pointing them out and talking about how she’s seen them before, whether in pictures or real life. I myself enjoyed the details that were put into the animals and their backgrounds. It really gives you a better insight into what these animals and their habitats look like.
The rhyming in this book was especially clever and made the story all the more fun to read. You would think rhyming on such a topic would be hard, if not impossible, but the author did a great job of doing so. All in all, I think “Night Life” by Donna Somboonlakana is a wonderful addition to have for any child to learn more about the creatures we share this earth with and would definitely recommend reading it with them because you will be sure to learn something new also!
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