After Squidnight

By Jonathan Fenske

Penguin Workshop, An Imprint of Penguin Random House, 2020. Picture Book.

Late at night when children are sleeping squids come out of the ocean to make art. In rhymes with a nod to the horror genre (though it isn’t really all that scary) squids come onto dry land to make art—due to the fact that using their ink to make art in the ocean wouldn’t really work since the water would wash it all away. The black and white illustrations with a teal spotlight color add to the eerie and spooky feel. And having a squid sneak into your house while you are sleeping could be a somewhat frightening thought. (Or the fact that parents when they wake up think the kids have made all the inky drawings and don’t believe squids did it.) Kids who like getting scared by Creepy Carrots or the like will enjoy this addition to the almost-horror picture book genre. And kids who like the comical drawing the squids make will be even more delighted. Such fun.

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