Now That Night is Near
by Astrid Lindgren, Marit Törnqvist (Illustrated), Polly Lawson (Translator)
3 out of 5 stars

A little cat roams about the countryside at sunset, observing how all the animals are settling down to sleep. The cows, foals, piglets, rabbits, and lambs are all going to sleep. Finally the cat arrives at home to nestle at the foot of a child’s bed for the night.

The text sort of rhymes part of the time, and doesn’t rhyme the rest of the time. Not really sure what was happening there. The story briefly describes the animals nestling down to sleep in their burrows, pastures, and dens. And there is a repeating phrase, “Even cats are going to sleep, as bedtime’s nearly here.”

The art style is soft and impressionistic with subtle colors. I’m not super impressed with the art; it’s fine, but not amazing. Maybe that’s just my own personal taste. It looks too messy to me.

I liked that each scene shows the focus of the next scene in the distant background. So while the cat is at the house, you can see a distant field of cows; and the next page is the cat in the field of cows. And in the distance you can see the next destination, the pig pen. It’s a clever way to show the little journey the cat goes on to explore the countryside before bed.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.