Working my way through the children’s section of my library, a la Reading My Library, I came upon Daniel Adlerman’s Africa calling, nighttime falling.
The jacket inscription had me a bit worried: “At night when you dream of far away place you will find the animals. They will protect you. They will comfort you. They will call to you. Wander through this book. Let the engaging words transport you, and the stunning illustrations keep you there. The animals of Africa are calling you. Come!”
The part about the animals protecting and comforting made me fear that the book would be pervaded by animism. Thankfully, the book jacket advertised falsely.
Africa calling, Nighttime falling turned out to be pure poetry, introducing the reader to a half dozen African animals through lilting rhyme and hypnotizing cadence. As the book draws to an end, we see a young African-American girl sitting in her bed, surrounded by her favorite African stuffed animals. “Slumbering through the darkest night, I sleep protected till morning light. Africa calling, nighttime falling. Warmly beaming, peaceful dreaming.”
The artwork is exquisite–three-dimensional collages that combine watercolor, found objects, and torn or cut paper figures. I’m not usually big into illustration–I tend to skip straight to the words–but these illustrations forced me to linger. They’re beautiful, artistic, but still approachable and down-to-earth.
Africa calling, Nighttime falling turned out to be a pleasant surprise in my children’s book reading venture. Why not check it out yourself?