Leung, Julie. Navigating Night. Angie Kang, Illus. Anne Schwartz, 03/2026. 42pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-0-593-89769-0. GRADES Kindergarten–3. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
A Chinese American girl helps her father deliver takeout from their family’s restaurant, as he recounts memories of the Cultural Revolution and his path to New York City. Leung’s text is well-paced with choice figures of speech that add imagery to the protagonist’s thoughts (“the night places a cool hand on my shoulder”). Kang’s mixed-media gouache, pastel and salt illustrations amplify tension with a blue stormy night and pops of illuminating colors. While the dialogue is primarily in English, Leung mixes in occasional Cantonese phrases (in Traditional Chinese characters) with moderate success. Those who cannot read Chinese will get a taste of the language barrier that immigrants face, with no pronunciation guide for reading the entire text aloud. Bilingual readers might find Baba’s first Chinese sentence awkward in Cantonese. The minimal amount of Cantonese dialogue makes the story accessible to English readers, but reduces the daughter’s role as the translator in the plot. Nevertheless, the emotional experience of many first- and second-generation American children as navigators for their parents is effectively depicted, further supported by the author’s and illustrator’s notes, making this a much-needed addition to diverse library collections.
Allison Law—Contra Costa County Library