Hannah’s Night

Hannah’s Night by Komako Sakai (Gecko Press)
PB (with flaps) RRP $16.99
ISBN 9781877579554
Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

This gorgeous book comes to us translated from its original language, Japanese, and from the illustrator of The Bear and the Wildcat. With its thick brush strokes of variegated blues and greens it is a book of the night to be read before bed.

Seeing the world during the day can become common place, and the beauty of the night can go undiscovered because of sleep. But a child discovering the night can be frightening, or it can be an adventure. When Hannah wakes one night while everyone else is sleeping, she embarks on a journey into another world.  There she sees and does all the things that aren’t available to her during the day.

This is a delicate reflection on freedom through a child’s eyes. At times children are fearless, and because of their curiosity, forbidden things like a sister’s doll, her notebook and colouring pencils, and the contents of the refrigerator become mysterious and magical.  So it is for Hannah.

This delightful story is as soft as the night and as gentle as dawn’s first light.