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Children's Fiction Friendship

Night Runners

illustrated by Geraldo Valério

Publisher
Groundwood Books Ltd
Initial publish date
Oct 2022
Category
Friendship, Music, General
Recommended Age
3 to 6
Recommended Grade
p to 1
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781773065700
    Publish Date
    Oct 2022
    List Price
    $10.99
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781773065694
    Publish Date
    Oct 2022
    List Price
    $19.99

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

What seems scary proves surprising in this magical wordless picture book.

Guided by a circle of stars on the horizon, a stag bounds into a thick pine forest. Wolves lurk behind the trees, then begin to run after him. When the stag turns to look at his pursuers, he stumbles over a fallen tree and sinks to the forest floor. The wolves close in … but, unexpectedly, they become the stag’s helpers, bringing water, berries and a bandage! After a short rest, the stag and wolves continue the mysterious journey, still following the stars. They finally reach their destination — a campfire, surrounded by all sorts of animals. The stag reaches into his satchel for a ukulele, and a joyful evening of music and dance begins. The musician has arrived just in time for the festivities, along with his back-up singers — the pack of howling wolves!

This stunning wordless picture book from artist Geraldo Valério explores overturned expectations, friendship among unlikely companions, and the joy of singing and dancing under the stars.

 

Key Text Features

illustrations

wordless

 

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

About the author

Geraldo Valério was born in Brazil, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Drawing, followed by a Master of Arts at New York University. His many highly acclaimed books include My Book of Birds (described in Booklist as “striking and beautiful”); At the Pond (two starred reviews); Friends (one starred review); Blue Rider (two starred reviews); Turn On the Night (three starred reviews) and The Egg (two starred reviews). His work has been published in many countries, including Canada, the US, Brazil, Portugal, France, the UK and China. Geraldo lives in Toronto.

 

Geraldo Valério's profile page

Editorial Reviews

[Night Runners] Fills the reader with hope for respect and humanity, something desperately needed nowadays. … [Valério’s] striking artwork, rendered in acrylic paint and coloured pencil on watercolour paper, gives us that hope, with the boldness of colour and line bringing the power of his story to the eyes.

CanLit for Little Canadians

The full-colour illustrations are eye-catching, and the animals are cheerful and friendly. … A simple and whimsical book that would entertain young children and reinforce the concepts of kindness and friendship.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

Cheering tale of peace and harmony.

Wall Street Journal

Another offbeat charmer that harnesses the spirit of childhood in its logic, surprises, and kidlike artwork.

Booklist

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