Review of "Day and Night," by Roger Duvoisin

Review of

Day and Night, by Roger Duvoisin ISBN 0394910729

Five out of five stars

 Children have a natural affinity for stories featuring animals that communicate with each other and exhibit human traits. Therefore, they will be predisposed to enjoy this book, which is very well written with an engaging story. Night is an owl and Day is a poodle, and their lives are lived in those portions of the celestial day described by their names.

 The two meet when Night comes out of his resting hole while it is still light, bumps his head and falls to the ground. Fortunately, Day is hunting nearby and chases away the fox that intended on making Night his next meal. They become friends, although their lifestyles make it difficult for them to meet in “person.”

 However, they communicate a lot in a very noisy manner that disturbs the Pennyfeathers until their son solves the problem by building a doghouse for Day. That way he can stay out at night and not have to bark and howl from inside the house.

 This is a simple story that children will find attractive, the two main characters are never in any grave danger and they are an odd pair of friends. The story is simple, well-illustrated and enjoyable, whether the child reads it themselves or has it read to them.