The Night Worker

Illustrated by Georg Hallensleben Published February 2007

When darkness falls and bedtime comes, Papa tucks Alex in, then puts on his hard hat and goes to work. Papa is an engineer who works at night. “Take me with you,” Alex says. “Not tonight,” says Papa. But one night Papa has a surprise — a hard hat for Alex! He takes Alex with him to the construction site, where excavators rumble and cement mixers hum. As his dream comes true, Alex gets to be a night worker just like Papa. Kate Banks’s evocative text and Georg Hallensleben’s colorful paintings combine to make a unique bedtime book that will delight all children, especially those who are fascinated by big machines.

  • Published in Paperback February 2007 and Hardcover August 2000.

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Reviews

Publishers Weekly

The richly tactile, softly glowing paintings complement the solemn prose. Banks evokes the machinery’s awesome strength and noisy engines as well as the quiet at break time: “All motion is stopped like a held breath.” A mesmerizing description of a busy nighttime realm, illuminated by blazing headlights and framed by silent skyscrapers.