A child explores her neighborhood on a late-night walk with her dad, finding delight and comfort in moments of quiet and the warm windows into other people’s lives.

When a little girl can’t sleep one night, her dad asks if she’d like to go for a walk. They tiptoe through the silent house and step out into the dark.

It’s strange and exciting to be out so late. Walking down the street, the girl can see inside the lit-up windows of apartment buildings and houses where people’s lives are unfolding. Kids are having a pillow fight in one house, while a family has gathered for a festive meal in another. She and her dad reach the still-busy shopping area, walking past restaurants and enticing store windows, then stop for a tranquil moment in the park before returning home.

Sara O’Leary has captured a child’s nighttime wonder as she explores her neighborhood and comes to the comforting realization that she belongs. Ellie Arscott’s illustrations, luminous and rich in color, perfectly complement the story.

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

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6
Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Sara O'Leary est auteure de livres pour adultes et pour enfants. Parmi ses oeuvres les plus connues, la série à succès Henry et les albums This is Sadie, illustré par Julie Morstad et You Are One, illustré par Karen Klassen. Diplômée du programme de création littéraire de l'Université de la Colombie-Britannique, elle a enseigné la scénarisation et l'écriture pour enfants à l'Université Concordia.

Sara O'Leary is a writer of fiction for both adults and children. She is the author of the award-winning series of Henry books and This Is Sadie, illustrated by Julie Morstad, and You Are One, illustrated by Karen Klassen. A graduate of the UBC Creative Writing Program, she has taught screenwriting and writing for children at Concordia University in Montreal.

Sara O'Leary's profile page

ELLIE ARSCOTT has been sharing her love of color and paint with a wide range of clients for twenty years. She has painted scenic art for Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre and the National Ballet of Canada, and she has worked with the Toronto District School Board creating mural projects with school children. Ellie is currently painting a series of portraits for her own initiative, Girls Stand Tall, which encourages young girls to believe in themselves and their dreams. This is her first picture book.

Ellie Arscott's profile page

• Winner, Crystal Kite
• Commended, CCBC Choices

This father-daughter tale is told with a sense of belonging.

Sal’s Fiction Addiction Blog

[A] touching book.

Montreal Review of Books

The satisfying bedtime story will get young listeners ready for sleep.

Horn Book

[A] subtly reassuring story about the wonder a child experiences when she becomes aware … she truly belongs.

Canadian Children’s Book News