Patricia MacLachlan and Tomie dePaola, what's not to like. ( )

good rhyme, big bold pictures ( )

The pairing of MacLachlan, a multiple Newbery medalist and DePaola a Caldecot Medal recipient, yields a marvelously written, stunningly beautiful illustrated tale about a man and his son walking during the gloaming time when the day is transitioning into night and the animals and nature prepare to sleep.

In soft illustrations, the tone is set for quiet. In a lullaby like rendering of the tale, this is a delightful book to read to a child at bedtime.

As the sky turns from white and blue to darkness, all is quiet, all is calm, all is lovely. And as the mama bird sings her babies to the nest before the bright moon fills the sky, father, whose face is painted white like the character Pierrot, carries the weary child as he falls asleep while the moon looks over all and blesses all with light in the darkness. Much like a huge night light of a worldly bedroom, the images show the necessity and beauty of rest. ( )