Nights with Dad Karen Hesse

A luminous and lyrical tribute to the enduring, everyday sort of love between a boy and his father.

When the sun sets, Dad's night shift as a school caretaker is just beginning. What is it like to work at night, while the rest of the city is asleep? There's the smell of lilacs in the night air, the dusky motorway in the moonlight and glimpses of shy night-time animals to make the dark magical. Playing basketball in the half-lit sport's hall, sweeping the stage with the match on the radio, and reading out loud to his father in the library all help the boy's time pass quickly. But what makes the night really special? Just being with Dad.

• There's a simple truth in this beautiful story – ordinary, working moments can become extraordinary when spent with someone you love.
• A story about a rarely covered topic – what it's like to accompany a parent on their night shift.
• Karen Hesse is a Newbery Medallist for her novel Out of the Dust and G. Brian Karas won a New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award for Are You Being Good?

About the author 
Karen Hesse is the author of numerous books for young people, including the ground-breaking novel Out of the Dust, which won the 1998 Newbery Medal. Karen Hesse and her husband live in Vermont, USA. Find her online at karenhesseblog.wordpress.com. G. Brian Karas has illustrated more than 90 children's books, including Anywhere Farm, written by Phyllis Root, and the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book Are You Going to Be Good? written by Cari Best. He lives in New York's Hudson Valley, USA. Find him online at gbriankaras.com and on Twitter as @gBrianKaras.

Nights with Dad
Walker Books Australia
Author: Karen Hesse
Illustrated by G. Brian Karas
ISBN: 9781406386837
RRP: $ 16.99

Review: Love this book and it's tale of spending quality time with dad on the job, reminding us the simple things can be fun.