Night of the Deer

Morel and Miroslavova lend a fairy-tale-like air to a pastoral story, which hinges on the fleeting moments when autumn sits just on the cusp of winter. Crisp, careful lines set the scene as “autumn trotted into the valley on frosty hooves,” and a pale-skinned family drive through harvest-ready farmland. Encountering two deer, the parents share familial lore suggesting that the animals can “disguise themselves as people and walk among us.” Later, spotting the same cervid duo, the child invites them to attend that evening’s harvest dance. Predictably, but no less entrancingly, two mysterious guests in old-fashioned attire briefly appear on the floor, their steps “as delicate as the last leaves of autumn slipping into the wind.” They depart before anyone can unravel their identities—except perhaps for the knowing child protagonist. Earthy-hued depictions of figures dressed in mid-20th-century fashions and references to rural chores give the book a quaint throwback feel that emphasizes the tale’s mythic qualities. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 6–7. (Aug.)