All Through the Night: Important Jobs that Get Done at Night By Polly Faber

All Through the Night: Important Jobs that Get Done at Night 

Polly Faber, Author

Harriet Hobday, Illustrator

Nosy Crow, Fiction, Nov. 1, 2022

Suitable for ages: 2-5

Themes: Jobs, Night, Workers, Parents

Opening: “It’s getting dark, I’ve had my dinner. I’ve brushed my teeth and put on my pajamas. But my mom’s just had her breakfast. She’s brushed her hair and put on her coat….She’s got an important job to do.”

Publisher’s Synopsis:

As the sun sets, a little girl gets ready for bed. Meanwhile her mom is putting on her coat and preparing to go to work.

But she’s not alone. Workers all across the city are getting ready for a busy night. Nurses and doctors are helping people who are sick, delivery workers are unloading groceries, band members are playing music, and journalists are drafting stories. And these are just some of the people who keep things running and prepared all through the night.

Why I like this book:

Make sure you check out the beautiful cover!  Polly Faber’s text is spare and lively. Harriet Hobday’s colorful  and  bold  illustrations are so lively! Readers will have fun examining each page!  It is a perfect read aloud.

This book will appeal to so many children who have a parent, sibling, grandparent or other family member who work at night, whether it is a second or third shift. They will feel pride in knowing their family member is doing an important job to run the city  and prepare for the next work day. Some work in healthcare, entertainment, cleaning, restaurants/supermarkets, transportation, bakeries. law enforcement and fire departments.. Yes kids may miss them, but they will feel proud that their mom or dad does a very important job to keep the city running, healthy and safe.

As a young reporter, I always enjoyed writing a Christmas Eve story of people who would worked while Santa was making his journey around the world — at night time. I remember what it was like at night to put the morning newspaper to bed near midnight and wait for the first pages to arrive to proof read. Yes we used typewriters and the presses had led type. Guess I’m dating myself! 

Resources: Great classroom read. Encourage children to draw a picture of the job their parent, family member or neighbor does at night. It would be fun to make a big  list of all the jobs that must be done at night. Many are suggested in this book, but there are so many more. Think outside the box.

Polly Faber is the author of Building a Home and Through the North Pole Snow. She is also a children’s book blogger and volunteer reading helper. She lives with her husband, sons, and cats in London, where she has her own tiny free library right outside her house.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

*Review copy provided by Candlewick Press in exchange for a honest review.