Early Picturebook Review: Daylight Moonlight by Matt Patterson

Daylight Moonlight by Matt Patterson is a non fiction picturebook that uses realistic illustrations to detail the differences between daytime and nighttime animals in a variety of environments. It is scheduled for release on March 28 2013. The twenty-two scenes include a forest, desert, ocean, beach, wetlands, parks, a backyard, and more. All ages can enjoy the detailed paintings and the information about the different wildlife on each page. I especially enjoyed the pages at the end of the book which include a numbered copy of each image used in the book with each animal listed, which might spark further interest or allow the answering of detailed questions asked by younger readers about the animals on each page.

Daylight Moonlight is visually engaging and enjoyable. The simple phrasing combined with the realistic paintings work very well to capture the interest and imagination of all ages. As each habitat was detailed in day and night, the differences become much more obvious. It ignited the interest for nature in my 6 year old, and refueled the interest of my 4 year old, who adores anything that might involve wildlife, grass, or dirt. The charts in the back of the book helped me further engaged my son, who is extremely fond of finding games, as I could ask him to find all the animals in each painting, and we could discuss the animals that interested him most in more depth.

I highly recommend Daylight Moonlight for use with children of all ages, and their families. It would work well in a classroom or storytime environment discussing nature.