Nochecita. (Little Night)

By staff -- Críticas, 6/15/2007

PreS–Talented artist and writer Morales has garnered over 30 awards for her work, including the Pura Belpré Medal for Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book.With her new book, which is published simultaneously in English and Spanish, the Mexican author delivers another arresting work. In a peaceful, almost dreamlike setting, Madre Cielo (Mother Sky) gets her daughter Nochecita (Little Night) ready for bed. She bathes, dresses, and feeds her chubby-cheeked toddler as they play hide-and-seek within the realms of sky and earth. Mother also combs her hair and fastens her pigtails with barrettes made of stars. Finally, she watches Nochecita bounce the moon into the sky. The whimsical text echoes the illustrations. The full-spread acrylics of sweeping blues, reds, and purples combine with earth tones to effectively capture the interplay of earth and sky as night falls. Mother Sky’s rotund, softly exaggerated features–reminiscent of the ancient goddess–are accented by her colorful full-bodied skirts, which at times dissolve into the landscape. Darker-skinned Nochecita has sparkling little eyes and a sweet, mischievous smile that gets a white mustache after drinking stars from the Milky Way. Morales’s illustrations and text masterfully capture the trust and love between mother and child. Highly recommended for libraries and bookstores.—Cristi Jenkins, Access & Programs, FortVancouver Regional Library, WA