We turn off the lights in our upstairs gallery for an hour of stories in the dark as John Rocco and Paul Hoppe read from their newest picture books. Bring a flashlight! Ages 4-8.

About Blackout

One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. The TV shuts off and a boy wails, "Mommm!" His sister can no longer use the phone, Mom can't work on her computer, and Dad can't finish cooking dinner. What's a family to do? When they go up to the roof to escape the heat, they find the lights—stars that can be seen for a change—and find so many neighbors it's like a block party in the sky! On the street below, people are having just as much fun—talking, rollerblading, and eating ice cream before it melts. The boy and his family enjoy being not so busy for once. They even have time to play a board game together. When the electricity is restored, everything can go back to normal . . . but not everyone likes normal. The boy switches off the lights, and out comes the board game again.

Using a combination of panels and full bleed illustrations that move from color to black-and-white and back to color, John Rocco shows that if we are willing to put our cares aside for a while, there is party potential in a summer blackout.

John Rocco is the creator of several books for children including Wolf! Wolf! and Moonpowder. He is also the illustrator for the bestselling series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

About The Woods:

Being afraid of the dark doesn't mean being afraid alone. When a boy can't find his favorite stuffed bunny, he bravely heads into the woods to look for it. Instead, he finds a big, scary brown bear! But the bear is just lonely, so the boy shares his night light and forges ahead with his new companion...until they run into two frightening giants! As the boy continues on, he comes across other seemingly menacing creatures, but finds that, like him, they're just looking for some comfort and security before bedtime. Simple text and classic European style meet a fresh, modern twist in this delightful picture book.

Paul Hoppe is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared in various publications, including The New York Times and The New Yorker. Raised in Germany, he now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.