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  • Published: 17 February 2021
  • ISBN: 9781644210246
  • Imprint: Seven Stories Press
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $35.00

Night Shadows



The third collaboration between Young and DaCosta (Nighttime Ninja and Mighty Moby) tells the story of a lonely girl who finds an unlikely friend in her elderly neighbor.

Each night kids have been creeping around and spray painting houses in Tasha's neighborhood. Two days in a row, her neighbor Mrs. Lucy awakes to find graffiti outside her home. Tasha helps her paint over it. They discover that they are alike, except for their age, and become inseparable. But who keeps defacing Mrs. Lucy's house? Ed Young's inimitable cut-out art sensitively conveys the characters' emotions and the drama of the story: as the truth is discovered, the houses become multicolored, but the characters remain faceless. Then when the miscreants are revealed, Tasha's and Mrs. Lucy's faces become visible. A subtle expression of recognition on both.....This nuanced story shows young readers that honesty and respect are the most important elements for friendship. With Night Shadows Caldecott Medal-winner Ed Young's oneiric illustrations and Barbara DaCosta's introspective narrative jointly reproduce the intensity with which a child experiences solitude and companionship.

  • Published: 17 February 2021
  • ISBN: 9781644210246
  • Imprint: Seven Stories Press
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 32
  • RRP: $35.00

Praise for Night Shadows

"In Barbara DaCosta's story, friendship and forgiveness emerge from the shadows to shine as warmly as Ed Young's art. I found myself deeply touched by this tender, honest story, and mesmerized by the jaggedly beautiful, moody illustrations. This book is a gift for anyone, child or adult, who has ever needed a true friend in a rough world." —Elisa Kleven, author of The Lion and the Little Red Bird