Welcome to my blog series Picking Pages: Picture Book Peeks where we pick our favorite Picture Book pages! Today we’re looking at DUSK EXPLORERS by author Lindsay Leslie and illustrator Ellen Rooney. It was published by Page Street Kids in 2020.
THE DUSK EXPLORERS is the kind of book that encourages curiosity – one of my favorite themes. We follow the characters around their street and yards as the sun sets in the background, taking us from an evening glow into night.
We see the games they play, like hide-and-seek, and the things they find, like curious worms peeking up from the grass. The collage-like illustrations are soft but vibrant. The language is lyrical and creative.
It’s a perfect bedtime story, because it reminds children of all of the adventures that await them tomorrow, while the slow, poetic text lulls them towards sleep.
Without feeling busy, there is an awful lot going on. That makes it a little hard to choose which of the pages is my favorite.
First we’ve got this page that I call Hide and Seek. I just adore the creative hiding places of these kids. There’s a lot of fun in these illustrations.
But then we’ve got this page that I call Firefly Flickers. There’s something about the colorful darkness of nighttime with the shadow silhouettes of the children contrasted against the bright glow of the fireflies. It’s enchanting.
Hard choice.
But now it’s time to vote for your favorite page:
Thanks for voting!
And remember, the best ways to support your favorite authors and illustrators includes buying their books, leaving them reviews, marking them as “want to read” on Goodreads, checking their books out of the library, and sharing how much you love the books on social media. Here are some helpful links:
- DUSK EXPLORERS on Bookshop.org
- DUSK EXPLORERS on Amazon
- DUSK EXPLORERS on Goodreads
- The author’s website: Lindsay Leslie
- The illustrator’s website: Ellen Rooney
And if you’d like to Pin this blog post for later, you can save this image on Pinterest:
When you read the book, share with me your favorite parts in the comments. And be sure to vote on some of the other Picking Pages posts as well!
Happy Reading!
xo Rosemary