At Night, They Danced

In a celebration of “what love looks like,” Scott-Miller (Miss Edmonia’s Class of Wildfires) crafts a heartwarming tribute to parental date night from the perspective of two children. Siblings Langston and Emerson love the freedom they experience during their parents’ weekly outings (“One day a week, four times a month, fifty-two times a year, it’s like a holiday”). Ahead of the evenings, they help Dad shave and watch Mom leave two lipstick kisses on the front hall mirror. But tonight, with no explanation, their parents seem to be kicking back at home. There’s “no babysitter. And Mom and Dad have their day clothes on.” The kids are less than thrilled (“On date nights there’s no bedtime, and we get to have pillow fights”). The evening proceeds with dinner and a Miles Davis album, until a post-bedtime event sees the parents honoring date night—and the kids invited to join the fun. Chambers (Dear You, Dream Big!) captures the characters’ connection through vibrant, sketch-like illustrations that focus on the warmth of prioritized bonds. Characters are portrayed with a range of brown skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)