Night Visitors

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this ambitious but hazy picture book, Caldecott Medalist Young relies on a string of ambiguities to deliver an unequivocal message. Soon after the young scholar Ho Kuan protests his parents' plan to kill the ants that invade their rice storehouse, ``night visitors'' in the form of black-armored soldiers escort Ho Kuan to the king's palace, where he lives happily until an attack by an army of red ants. But perhaps the phrase ``night visitors'' is a metaphor, signifying a dream-which Ho Kuan's adventure seems to have been. Upon wakening, however, Ho Kuan is led by black ants to the hidden treasure promised to him in his dream. Illustrations provide further metaphors. In one spread, for example, ant-like warriors (or warrior-like ants) march along a distant field; above them, a sunset merges with an image of weeping human eyes that peer over the vast horizon. While paradoxes reign-reality vs. dreams, war for the sake of peace-the nature of Ho Kuan's heroism is never in doubt. He has respected life in all its forms, ``no matter how small.'' Despite the worthiness of the lesson, the storytelling and the illustrations may be too sophisticated for young readers. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

Children's Literature - Mary Sue Preissner

Young, author of Caldecott winner Lon Po Po, brings another Chinese folktale to our attention. Ho Kuan's father, angered that ants have invaded his storehouses, orders a servant to find and destroy the ant nest. Father reluctantly agrees to let Ho find a way to seal the storehouse from the ants. While poring over books late one evening, Ho falls asleep. In his dream, a great ruler sends his black armored soldiers for Ho. After a long and difficult journey, Ho reaches the kingdom, stays, and eventually marries the ruler's daughter. An invasion of red armored warriors attacks the peaceful kingdom, killing Ho's wife and daughters. Ho then trains the king's armies, and the red armies are defeated. A sad Ho returns to his native land with a token of gratitude from the black king to be found at his parents' home at the base of a cassia tree. As Ho awakes from his dream, he notices a trail of black ants and follows them through the garden. In the hollow of the cassia tree, Ho finds an earthen jar full of silver coins, which is then used to seal the storehouse. Ho dedicates his life to the teaching of respect for life.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-Both the title and the wonderfully evocative jacket art hint at the inscrutable Chinese folktale within. When ants invade the family's rice storehouse, Ho Kuan's father threatens to drown the insects' nest if the boy is unable to seal the walls and floor. The ensuing events begin at midnight, when black-armored soldiers summon Ho to His Majesty's Palace, a journey of many days. The King is so impressed with the young man's kindness that he gives his daughter to him in marriage. The couple's happy days are cut short by an attack of red-armored warriors during which Ho's wife is killed. After training the King's army in the martial arts to drive away the invaders, he returns home with a promise from the King of finding a token of his gratitude under a cassia tree. Ho awakes believing the sequence was a dream until a line of ants leads him to the tree and a jar of silver coins, which he spends on sealing the storehouse. The crisp text is a perfect foil for the shadowy backgrounds and predominantly black and ivory spreads, which effectively heighten the drama as it unfolds. The Rorschach-like images created by the texture of the pastels offer smoky clues to the ant colony. The deftly crafted story concludes with a message of respect for all forms of life. An author's note cites the two sources for his retelling. Intriguing, mystical, and engaging.-Julie Cummins, New York Public Library

Hazel Rochman

As in Young's Caldecott Honor Book "Seven Blind Mice" (1992), the exquisite illustrations for this southern Chinese folktale express the changing point of view that is the heart of the story. Ho Kuan, a strong and gentle young scholar, becomes part of an ant colony in a dream. He goes on a long journey across wide plains and through thick forests to a beautiful kingdom, where he finds love and defeats the enemy. When he returns home, he wakes at his desk to find that it was all a dream--but a trail of ants across his papers leads him to hidden treasure. The double-spread pictures in gray and sepia shades play with the theme of shifting perspective and shadowy transformation. Intense flashes of color make us focus on detail with sudden close-ups of hands, ears, eyes, and tears. Children are fascinated by ants in all their intense activity, and this story makes us imagine what the world" might be like for one of its tiniest creatures. The dedication is to Jung and to Saint Francis, and although kids can't articulate the myth of the inner quest, they will feel Ho's sense of wonder and connection.