Welcome, Dark

In this poetic board book, young readers are invited to explore the sounds of nighttime and find comfort in them instead of fear.

As a young child falls asleep, the night comes alive. Animals hide and leaves blow, seeds are spread and crops are watered, and the world wakes anew in the morning. Focusing on the necessity of nighttime, this beautiful book showcases the night, along with its sometimes scary sounds, through new eyes. Stunning illustrations from an award-winning illustrator complement each spread as the poetry balances the magic and mystery of nighttime with the comforting stillness of being tucked safely indoors.

Charis St. Pierre grew up in British Columbia surrounded by blackberries and cedar trees. She is a parent of young children and a graduate student focused on environmental issues in children’s literature. Charis is fascinated by how picture books depict the natural world, and the sorts of relationships they invite children to form with the environments around them. She lives in Edmonton with her family.

Rachel Wada’s work is defined by heavy texture, bold color and intricate details that capture the nuances of people, places and ideas, real and surreal. Rachel’s identity as Japanese-Cantonese, an immigrant and a woman informs her artistic practice. She loves to put her own spin on traditional techniques, motifs and symbolism inspired by her cultural background. This duality of old and new is also apparent in her use of both traditional and digital mediums, and she draws inspiration from a variety of sources, from Japanese woodblock prints, Chinese pottery and ceramics, food packaging design to traditional folk art. Rachel lives in Vancouver.