What Really Happens at Night? - by Muge Li (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Silver Medal Winner of the 2022 Key Colors Competition, the two-yearly national contest for illustrators of children's books.

This is a classic "I don't want to go to bed" quirky bedtime story about curiosity, imagination, and creative solutions.

It's bedtime already? But I don't feel like going to sleep. There's so much to think about. I have so many questions! What happened to my other sock? Why is dad losing his hair? What does the sun do at night? And most of all: why am I so sleepy? The everyday questions of a little girl are visualized in the pictures with a lot of imagination.

"Delightful bedtime fare, and, ironically, a potential get-to-sleep tool." -Kirkus Reviews

Review Quotes

Silver Medal Winner of the 2022 Key Colors Competition, the two-yearly national contest for illustrators of children's books.

"A book of bedtime questions big and small. "What are you thinking about?" Mom asks their child at the foot of the bed in a cozy room scattered with socks and books. The child is resisting sleep because of a racing mind--relatable content sure to hook caregivers and children alike. Each spread contains a single question in chunky black text, with the "Why," "Where," or "What" enlarged for emphasis. Some of the questions are simple on the surface (like "Where's the last piece of cake?"), but a closer look at the illustrated scene suggests mischief in the form of ants devouring the cake, crumb by crumb. Other scenes cheerfully introduce magical realism, as a fish watches TV with the child, a lost clicker dropped in their bowl, to wordlessly answer the question, "Where's the TV remote?" Attention to the quietly improbable possibilities behind each question encourages imagination, and reading can be scaled for a wide age range. Plenty of negative space balances the thoughtful art, which is based in pinks, blues, and earthy grays and browns. The human characters have light skin tones; names and gender identities are not shared. Those who have had mundane and existential queries zip through their minds while they're trying to sleep will revel in the innocently blunt tone of this brief, gratifyingly inconclusive story of inquiry. Delightful bedtime fare, and, ironically, a potential get-to-sleep tool." -Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Muge Li is an illustrator and designer based in NY. She graduated from Syracuse University with an MFA in illustration. She focuses on drawing picture books, editorial illustrations, licensing, and package design. She especially loves funny characters and quirky stories.