The Midnight Fair

Written by Gideon Sterer, illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio

This is my favorite tittle listed on the Texas Library Association’s 2×2 Recommended Reading List. If you have not yet heard of this reading list, it is compiled by Texas children’s librarians and recommended for 2-year-olds through 2nd graders.

This is a wordless picture book that reads like a comic book (or one of my photobooks!) The warmth of artificial festive lights and the cooler tones of nature harmoniously coexist in gorgeous photographic spreads.

Summary & Critical Analysis
The book follows a pack of wild animals as they sneak in after hours to enjoy the fair, only there for one day. They are wild, but by no means savage. By the first spread a racoon is seen gathering “nature treasures” in the foreground, to use as payment for rides and carnival food. I had not before been so taken by the photographic level of bokeh illustrated in a picture book. Di Giorgio is a master of bokeh, with the frame of exploding popcorn using this technique captivating the magic of the lights and delights of a county fair. Children and adults alike will find similarities between how humans and animals enjoy the food and rides, but the extra layer of animals doing so while trespassing adds charm to the tale.

Most notably is how much more these wood animals appreciate the experience, joyfully clutching to their candy, pretzels, and winnings as they leave the fairgrounds by dawn, not before ensuring there is no trace (read: trash) left behind. The heart of the story belongs to the little wolf at the end of the story, who in a lake bathed by sunrise, releases his fairground prize back to nature.

Translation Difficulty: Easy
As with all wordless titles, The Midnight Fair lends itself to bilingual readers as parents can narrate the story in any language. There is a Spanish title available, but with it being a wordless story, I do not see why you would pay extra for La feria de medianoche.

The story, like attending a fair, is an experience to be savored. Allow time to scan the spreads for details, facial expressions, and movement. Particularly interesting is finding the subtle remnants of the fair in the concluding endpapers.