Nocturne

Starred review from August 11, 2014
In this exquisite collection of portraits of 42 nocturnal animals, photographer Scott sets her subjects against dark backgrounds that give the images quiet dignity and power, while making the animals’ fur, feathers, quills, and skin all the more luminous. A serval cat stares intently at readers, a bat bares its teeth, and a cecropia moth’s fuzzy, vibrant wings fill a full spread. Intriguing information about the animals accompanies the photos: “Hedgehogs are extremely vocal. They communicate their preferences and moods using a repertoire of grunts, chirps, hisses, and squeals.” The brilliance of the photographs is in their minimalism, allowing the animals to dictate the mood of the compositions. Ages 7–12.

Starred review from December 1, 2014

Gr 2-6-Scott once again taps into her creativity and photographic genius, compiling remarkably intimate images. The book features 42 nocturnal creatures, many depicted through multiple shots, laid out on a black background, allowing the details and features of the subject to pop. Each image is accompanied by unique information written for a higher level reader than most photobooks. Some of the highlights are a capybara so lifelike that it begs to be touched, a raccoon staring into the camera soulfully, a little brown bat that seems to be coming right off the page, a charming fennec fox whose sweet expression will evoke squeals, and a hedgehog rolled up into a ball. The collection contains many mammals, but there are also plenty of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects, too. This selection will attract nonreaders with its gorgeous images but will also be of interest to older children, though students doing anything but the most basic research reports would need to supplement this book with additional materials. An excellent addition.-Jane Hebert, Glenside Public Library District, Glendale Heights, IL

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2014
Grades 3-6 Feathers, quills, fur, bumps, leathery skinthese photographs are so vivid that readers will need to touch them to make sure they are not real. Celebrated photographer Scott uses light and dark effectively to create stunning encounters with nocturnal animals, some well-known, others not. Of particular interest is Scott's explanation of how she first became interested in night creatures: My journey into darkness began with visions of brilliantly colored, powdery wings beating softly through the warm night sky. As she began photographing, she used the Little Black Box (a portable studio her husband built) and visited animal sanctuaries and zoos (crawling through smelly porcupine musk, waiting hours for just the right angle with a snow leopard, etc.). Her fascination with the luna moth even led her to raise moths in her own home. A short descriptive paragraph accompanies each full-color photograph of the 40 different species, detailing those that face greatly diminished numbers in the wild. This book of 85 breathtaking photos will really appeal to all ages.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)