Niko’s Night & Day: A Story of Opposites in God’s Creation

This is a beautifully written and illustrated story of Niko, a little boy who lost his toy train. The contrast of Niko’s journey in the woods both in day and at night has the perfect balance of realism and whimsy. The dichotomy of day and night maintained on each page spread creates a smooth journey for the reader. The book has a calm voice that makes it an easy read for bedtime. My children loved the story and the artwork. As a mom, I love the message of the story: a nervous child bravely faces what scares him and discovers that it wasn’t so scary after all. I especially like that Niko has to face the night, something that makes many children afraid. The story also encourages discussions of finding lost things, as Niko did, and how God seeks and saves the lost. It could be used in a learning setting alongside parables of The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and The Lost Son in Luke 15, as it maintains the theme of seeking the lost. I reviewed an early release digital copy of the book and am eager to see these illustrations in print. The art style perfectly matches the text and masterly conveys Niko’s wonder of God’s creation. One aspect of the book that surprised me was the subtitle “A Story of Opposites in God’s Creation.” This title made me think of the traditional opposites (big/small, etc.) and I expected this book to be more of a vocabulary building book, rather than a story. The book is more involved than the subtitle had me expect.

This is a beautiful parable about the searching, seeking love of God for his lost children. Beautifully and imaginatively illustrated, this book teaches about creation (nature), loss, finding, and loving commitment. It also features a main character who is NOT Caucasian, which is absolutely fantastic. Children of all colors can find themselves in Niko.

Nikos night and day is a beautiful book full of bright and fun illustrations. my children and I both really enjoyed reading this book. i especially loved how it parallels Jesus’ parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.

View creation through Niko's eyes, and learn about all the wonderful opposites in God's creation. Children will enjoy following Niko's yellow boots while he searches for his lost train. The illustrations in this book are absolutely stunning, and perfectly pair with the text to help illustrate differences between night and day on each two-page spread. Niko's Night and Day is an excellent book to encourage language development and reading comprehension. Parents can use this book to approach discussions of creation, fears, opposites, and the Gospel message of how Jesus seeks and saves the lost (Luke 15). This book would make a great baby shower or baptism gift!