We learn a lot of things in The book of the night. What surprised me the most was that one person, the Swedish scientist Carl von Linné, invented in the 18th century a clock that might tell the time to the nearest half hour, just with flowers! There was not even a need for mechanics, because the species of flowers open and close at different times, some during the day and others at night.
I also learned that there are several trains of sleep and several sleeps, the light, the deep, the paradoxical. I discovered how animals sleep and how they escape predators at night. For example, the elephant sleeps standing up most of the time so that it can escape more easily. Otters sleep in groups, boarding on the water and giving each other their paws so that one of them does not get carried away and eaten. We also learn, thanks to this book, that bats send ultrasound which bounces everywhere on what is around them. This way, they can get an idea of their surroundings and know if there are stools, walls or people.
“Man is afraid of the night”
The designs, all in black, dark blue and white, are very pretty, a bit magical. The Alice in Wonderland rabbit tells us regarding dreams. Some pages, with monsters and ghosts, make you think of nightmares. With a caption that explains that “Man is afraid of the night, of the animals that inhabit it, and even of all black animals, such as black cats, crows which bring bad luck, they say …”
There are also proverbs, for example “At night, all cats are gray.” And we learn expressions, like “To be in the arms of Morpheus”, which means sleep, because Morpheus, among the Greeks, was the god of dreams, the son of night and sleep. There is so much information and detail in this book that it’s hard to remember it all, I know I’ll dive into that later. I liked it very much and I recommend it!
I did not so easily immerse myself in The odyssey of the night. The drawings are beautiful, very colorful and are inspired by real works of artists, such as the painter Van Gogh or the graffiti artist Basquiat. And there are diagrams, for example to explain how a gas street light works. But you have to hang on to read the texts and sometimes the theme of the night is a bit far away, as in the chapter which talks regarding Chagall’s blue circus. I still learned things. Like the fact that the moon itself does not emit light, but reflects that of the sun. Or that in winter, the night lasts all day at the North Pole.
The book of the night, texts by Caroline Fait, illustrations by Amandine Delaunay, la Martinière jeunesse, 48 pp., € 16. From 6 years old.
Odyssey of the night, texts by Cécile Guibert-Brussel, illustrations by Victoria Dorche, co-edition RMN-Grand Palais and Palais de la Découverte, 48 pp., € 15.90. From 8 years old.
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