All around Bustletown: Nighttime by Rotraut Susanne Berner

I've loved Rotraut Susanne Berner's work since I first discovered it in 2008 and was delighted to see Prestel republish In the town, all year 'round as separate, oversized board books. Now, to my great pleasure, she has created a new adventure in Bustletown - at night!

The wordless story begins with a cut-away picture of a multi-family house at night. A woman checks on a baby, a man takes a shower and the annoyed neighbor below bangs on the ceiling, while a closer look will show a few people still abroad. A couple strolls down the street, a person rides a bike, and someone in dark clothes with a sack is walking across the fields with a flashlight.

As the action moves into town, we follow a small group of cats, the walking couple and bicycle rider, while various posters advertising night-time events hint at things to come. Pull into the train station and the police flag down the bicycle rider (no lights!), cleaners work in the station, and more people are up and about. In the next spread children are spending the night at the library in the culture center for a reading sleepover, the cats are joined by another friend, and people can be seen through the windows of their apartments. There's drama on the next page, with the person in dark clothes revealed as a burglar, trying to sneak into the closed bookstore. One of the couple loses their hat, and more people join the procession ending in the final scene: Fireworks in the park, night animals, ice cream, and music.

The back page of the book shows a variety of images from the book to search for. Some of them are formed as questions, like "Who is Officer Tony talking to on the phone?" or "What is this man up to?" adn others are just little treasures to find, like mice in the kitchen, the group of cats, and a sneaky raccoon.

There are many fun details to discover, like an exhibit of "Night pictures from children's books" in the top floor of the culture center, including Mickey from In the Night Kitchen, a piece of art by Axel Scheffler, and a few other pictures I wasn't able to identify, presumably they are German books. More strait-laced American audiences may be shocked to see the back view of a man showering or a few people shown smoking, but the fun and enjoyment of these books, to me, definitely outweighs the possibility of a few prudish complaints.

Verdict: I love the progression of story and the cheerful, intriguing mix of pictures throughout this new adventure in Bustletown and I am thrilled to add it to my library. If you have fans of the series, or readers who like Richard Scarry and seek-and-find books, this one will be a hit.

ISBN: 9783791374901; Published April 2022 by Prestel; Review copy provided by publisher