The Night Library

by David Zeltser and illustrated by Raul Colón

“The Night Library” by David Zeltser and illustrated by Raul Colón. Published by Penguin Random House. A heartwarming story of a little boy who has lost his love for books and needs to be reminded that so much can happen when one opens a book.

The story is narrated by a little boy. It starts off on the night before his eighth birthday. He is having trouble falling asleep. He can hear his parents approaching his room. They had a present for him. Upon opening it excitedly, he was disappointed to see a book. Why did they have to gift him a book of all things when they knew that he liked things like toys, movies and games! He fell into a restless sleep after his parents left. He was woken up by a strange sound late at night.

There was a lion outside and it seemed to be beckoning him. At first he thought it was a statue but then there were paw prints in the snow. He couldn’t resist and found himself next to the lion who introduced himself as Fortitude. He told the boy to sit on his back as he wanted to take him somewhere. When the boy asked, he was told that they had to meet Patience. The lion looked oddly familiar. Where had he seen him before?

Fortitude took the boy through the streets of New York and eventually entered the New York Public Library. What work did he have there? Why did he want to take the boy inside? Was Patience going to be there? Who was Patience? What was the boy going to find out that night? Read the magic filled story to go inside the New York Public Library and know all of these.

My eight year old has loved this book for almost two years now. The illustrations are just brilliant and hold clues as to why the boy no longer loves books the way he used to. I will not give away the plot. But there are multiple layers in this story. It took me a couple of readings and I discovered a new detail each time. Themes like power of books, reading together, companionship, grief, acceptance, friendship, nostalgia, bonding and hope probably. Maybe I have missed something which I may very well find in the next reading.

The love for books is special. It cannot go away and this book portrays this beautifully. The magic of books in our lives and the memories we associate with books have been captured so well. Overall it resonated a lot with me and my son. Some of the books shown in the library are the ones which we have loved dearly since we began our reading journey. So it was a walk down the memory path for us. The Tale of Peter Rabbit especially since that was the book I gifted my son for his first birthday and we used to read it together every other day. Also loved the author’s note at the end explaining the history behind the lion statues outside the New York Public Library.

Recommended Age

Would highly recommend this to anyone beyond the age of 5.

Reasons to Read

The book is an enchanting read filled with the strong message of the power of books and the role that they play in our lives.

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