Night Runners

What seems scary proves surprising in this magical wordless picture book.

Guided by a circle of stars on the horizon, a stag bounds into a thick pine forest. Wolves lurk behind the trees, then begin to run after him. When the stag turns to look at his pursuers, he stumbles over a fallen tree and sinks to the forest floor. The wolves close in … but, unexpectedly, they become the stag’s helpers, bringing water, berries and a bandage! After a short rest, the stag and wolves continue the mysterious journey, still following the stars. They finally reach their destination — a campfire, surrounded by all sorts of animals. The stag reaches into his satchel for a ukulele, and a joyful evening of music and dance begins. The musician has arrived just in time for the festivities, along with his back-up singers — the pack of howling wolves!

This stunning wordless picture book from artist Geraldo Valério explores overturned expectations, friendship among unlikely companions, and the joy of singing and dancing under the stars.

Key Text Features

illustrations

wordless

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.