I Walk at Night - Hardcover

A first-person narration puts forth an imagined version of a cat's inner thoughts as it prowls through the night, and the events are more hushed than the horror-movie title implies. In spare, irregular rhyme, Duncan (Trapped!, 1998, etc.) leads readers on a walk as a house cat goes to ``tread on silken toes,'' ``lap from china bowls,'' or ``dream of birds and fishes.'' The text, while hardly warranting an entire picture book, sets a mood for the tranquil, moon-drenched oil paintings. Each spread is so soundless, it will have readers tiptoeing through the pages, imagining the soft padding of cat feet or the mysterious mewing of a contented kitty. Outlines of string give the cat cunning definition, as do blocks of color that create an unbroken sense of night, subtly laced with a smattering of block-printed stars, moons, and clover. While the cozy paintings are sure to please, the oddly unsatisfying poem hovers around the edges, hinting at the mysterious nature of felines, but failing to deliver adventure, surprise, or true delight. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Duncan's (I Know What You Did Last Summer; The Longest Hair in the World) lyrical riff on the nature of the cat untwines at a leisurely pace, in hushed verse that hints at the wildness lurking just beneath the surface. The effect is somehow both soothing and slightly mysterious, a contrast echoed in Johnson and Fancher's (My Many Colored Days) illustrations. For instance, a hypnotic image paired with "I like the taste of cream,/ But while I drink I dream/ Of birds and fishes" emulates the murky green half-light of the ocean depths; in the bottom right corner, a cat watches as a school of stylized fish swirls upward, slowly metamorphosing into a flock of birds. Using oil paint and string on paper--a medium that lends additional interest by mimicking the rough texture of pastels--Johnson and Fancher lean toward twilight tones. Laden with shadows, the overall effect is dreamy and atmospheric, and makes for grand bedtime fare--although cat fanciers will enjoy it any time of day or night. Ages 5-9. (Feb.)
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