Collection
Series
Publication
London ; New York : Nobrow, 2019.
Description
Every night, tiny stars appear out of the darkness in little Sandy's bedroom. She catches them and creates wonderful creatures to play with until she falls asleep, and in the morning brings them back to life in the whimsical drawings. When a mysterious new girl appears at school, Sandy's drawings are noticed for the first time, but Morfie's fascination with Sandy's talent soon turns into something far more sinister.
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member khaddox
This book was provided to me as an advanced reader copy by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Every night, tiny stars appear out of the darkness in little Sandy's bedroom. She catches them and creates wonderful creatures to play with until she falls asleep, and in the morning brings
One day, Morfie, a mysterious pale girl, appears at school. And she knows all about Sandy's drawings...
Nightlights is a beautiful story about fear, insecurity, and creativity, from the enchanting imagination of Lorena Alvarez.
Nightlights is easily one of the most gorgeously illustrated and imaginative picture books I have ever read. Sandy had my heart from the moment she stated she was “heavy as a rock” and therefore couldn’t go upstairs to bed. The pages are wall to wall color, and one could easily spend more time studying the illustrations than reading the words, though the words are equally beautiful. Morfie’s metamorphosis from admiring friend to dangerous parasite is equal parts beautiful and scary, and the author’s resolution is foreshadowed in a way that will help kids appreciate Sandy’s intelligence. I want to recommend this book for everyone, but reasonably, I would recommend it for kiddos 7 and older, as younger children may find the story frightening.
Every night, tiny stars appear out of the darkness in little Sandy's bedroom. She catches them and creates wonderful creatures to play with until she falls asleep, and in the morning brings
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them back to life in the whimsical drawings that cover her room.One day, Morfie, a mysterious pale girl, appears at school. And she knows all about Sandy's drawings...
Nightlights is a beautiful story about fear, insecurity, and creativity, from the enchanting imagination of Lorena Alvarez.
Nightlights is easily one of the most gorgeously illustrated and imaginative picture books I have ever read. Sandy had my heart from the moment she stated she was “heavy as a rock” and therefore couldn’t go upstairs to bed. The pages are wall to wall color, and one could easily spend more time studying the illustrations than reading the words, though the words are equally beautiful. Morfie’s metamorphosis from admiring friend to dangerous parasite is equal parts beautiful and scary, and the author’s resolution is foreshadowed in a way that will help kids appreciate Sandy’s intelligence. I want to recommend this book for everyone, but reasonably, I would recommend it for kiddos 7 and older, as younger children may find the story frightening.
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LibraryThing member flying_monkeys
Deep, rich, magical pictures illustrate a little girl's journey through the intersections of imagination and self-doubt, creativity and conformity.
I was so enamored by the colors and drawings, I borrowed this "children's" book for the full four weeks allowed by my library. I couldn't stop flipping
5 stars
I was so enamored by the colors and drawings, I borrowed this "children's" book for the full four weeks allowed by my library. I couldn't stop flipping
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through the pages and staring at certain pictures for what seemed like hours.5 stars
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LibraryThing member Kellswitch
This is about a little girl who likes to draw and who prefers her imaginary world to reality. I think.
I have to admit, story wise I'm not really sure what is going on, what the point of the story was or if there really needed to be one. Was the little girl supposed to learn a lesson? Was the ending
The story perplexed me and left me a little unsatisfied in the end.
However the art, the art is amazing! Each time I read through the book again I noticed new details and depths I missed the times before.
I love the colors, I love the creativity and the world that the artist has created here. And while I may have found the story a bit unsatisfactory at times I can't deny that I was pulled in and kept going back looking for clues I may have missed and questioning and taking the story further in my mind.
And perhaps that is the point of the story, the magic of creativity and seeing the world through different eyes. Story’s don't always need points, and questions don't always need to be answered.
A beautiful book and well worth the read, I think I would have loved it if I had read it as a child.
I have to admit, story wise I'm not really sure what is going on, what the point of the story was or if there really needed to be one. Was the little girl supposed to learn a lesson? Was the ending
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as open ended as it seems?The story perplexed me and left me a little unsatisfied in the end.
However the art, the art is amazing! Each time I read through the book again I noticed new details and depths I missed the times before.
I love the colors, I love the creativity and the world that the artist has created here. And while I may have found the story a bit unsatisfactory at times I can't deny that I was pulled in and kept going back looking for clues I may have missed and questioning and taking the story further in my mind.
And perhaps that is the point of the story, the magic of creativity and seeing the world through different eyes. Story’s don't always need points, and questions don't always need to be answered.
A beautiful book and well worth the read, I think I would have loved it if I had read it as a child.
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LibraryThing member JaxlynLeigh
The first thing that catches your eye is the illustrations - beautiful, colorful, and detailed! There is so much to see in the illustrations. The story is written in a graphic novel/comic format, which is engaging for readers, especially upper elementary readers. Sandy, a young girl who loves
*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.*
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drawing, meets a new girl at her Catholic school. Her new friend admires her drawings but tries to use Sandy for her own evil means. The content may be a little scary for younger or less mature readers. I still can't get over the amazing illustrations!*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.*
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LibraryThing member photonegative
3 stars for story, 5 stars for the beautiful artwork.
LibraryThing member aratiel
5-star drawings, but the story was a letdown.
LibraryThing member untitled841
I am smitten with the adorable book. Vivid, colorful images bring to life the happy imagination of Sandy.
LibraryThing member elenchus
Intriguing in that the story seems to be about more than (better: not only) the "importance of imagination" but hints at the danger of imagination in certain circumstances. I pulled this from the shelves of my local, knowing nothing about the book or the author but entranced by the cover art. A
Picking up a new U.S. picturebook, in the shadow of Theodore Geisel, storylines voicing unqualified support of imagination are de rigueur. Alvarez's story sets out along that path, but ends up somewhere else, hinting that imagination untethered to life is no better than a life without imagination --indeed, may be hazardous. In the opening pages, it's clear her imagination has served Sandy well and presumably for years; recently, change is afoot. The source of that change is not entirely in Sandy's outer world, though: school, family, new friends. There is also a change in her creative life, leading to an encounter with Morfie who swiftly becomes menacing. Is this evolution? -- an inevitable part of imagination? Is Morfie from outside Sandy's imagination, an intruder, or a dangerous side of it?
The resolution seems to hinge on Sandy's new appreciation for understanding the world, notably through science. This outlook also is imaginative, and the text links the two explicitly. I do not take Sandy's character development as a retreat or abandonment of imagination, but a deepening or partnering.
The art is every bit as good as the story, but as it met expectations after seeing it on the shelves, there is less to say. (Better to look at the images than write about them.) If the story had been humdrum or hackneyed, the book would have been worth reading once for the images. It's worth re-reading, and reading again, for the combination of word and image.
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flip through persuaded me it was worth taking home, and I anticipated a straightforward picturebook. After two readings, it's clearly not that yet I'm not confident I do know precisely what it's about. Perhaps the cultural viewpoint accounts for this, it's different enough from my commonplace tropes as to confound expectation.Picking up a new U.S. picturebook, in the shadow of Theodore Geisel, storylines voicing unqualified support of imagination are de rigueur. Alvarez's story sets out along that path, but ends up somewhere else, hinting that imagination untethered to life is no better than a life without imagination --indeed, may be hazardous. In the opening pages, it's clear her imagination has served Sandy well and presumably for years; recently, change is afoot. The source of that change is not entirely in Sandy's outer world, though: school, family, new friends. There is also a change in her creative life, leading to an encounter with Morfie who swiftly becomes menacing. Is this evolution? -- an inevitable part of imagination? Is Morfie from outside Sandy's imagination, an intruder, or a dangerous side of it?
The resolution seems to hinge on Sandy's new appreciation for understanding the world, notably through science. This outlook also is imaginative, and the text links the two explicitly. I do not take Sandy's character development as a retreat or abandonment of imagination, but a deepening or partnering.
The art is every bit as good as the story, but as it met expectations after seeing it on the shelves, there is less to say. (Better to look at the images than write about them.) If the story had been humdrum or hackneyed, the book would have been worth reading once for the images. It's worth re-reading, and reading again, for the combination of word and image.
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LibraryThing member bookbrig
Love, love, love the art.
LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan
This was an interesting graphic novel. I can’t say it was short and sweet, more like short and creepy. The major thing is, I have seen this story before. Not this exact book, but the story. I am not sure if it is an old folk tale or what, but I know I have seen this story done before. Saying
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that, I still like this book for the excellent illustrations. But to get the full story, I will probably have to read book 2. Show Less
LibraryThing member jennybeast
Very beautiful, with just the right amount of creepy, and some smart thinking from the adorable main character. The end page is a little confusing, as it hints at further adventures to come, but I like the ambiguity and the science around the edges. And really, the illustrations are astonishingly
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lovely, a true and marvelous garden of the mind, with an amazing use of color. Show Less
LibraryThing member greeniezona
I bought this book an age ago for my oldest child, and something made me pull it out recently and put it on my stack of books to read for the readathon.
I will acknowledge that this is a very strange book. It blurs the line between illustrated children's book and graphic novel. It is presented as
All that said, IT REALLY WORKED FOR ME. And not just because the art is REALLY TRULY AMAZEBALLS. I mean, just absolutely beautiful, riots of color and creativity. I was charmed also that you could interpret the story in different ways.
There's a second book out now! We need it!
I will acknowledge that this is a very strange book. It blurs the line between illustrated children's book and graphic novel. It is presented as
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being for kids age 9-12, but has some scary/disturbing story moments that could easily read older. The story itself is... truncated? There are abrupt shifts and unexplained elements...All that said, IT REALLY WORKED FOR ME. And not just because the art is REALLY TRULY AMAZEBALLS. I mean, just absolutely beautiful, riots of color and creativity. I was charmed also that you could interpret the story in different ways.
There's a second book out now! We need it!
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