Summer is FINALLY here and Dusk Explorers is the perfect book to celebrate the warmest season of the year—a time for endless outdoor adventures and reconnection with nature. A time where both kids and parents feel free—from the demands of school, work, and schedules. Especially during the time of COVID-19 where everyone has been inside for far too long! Who would have ever thought that the year 2020 would go down in history as a global pandemic?
Dusk Explorers is a beautiful pairing of text and inclusive illustration that captures nighttime adventures. My three children—ages one, six, and twelve—loved it!
I especially appreciate the diversity of cultures depicted among the illustrations. Children of all different races playing together. This is the type of children’s book our world needs right now.
I now leave you with the author’s words detailing the backstory and inspiration for Dusk Explorers.
“This book is from a powerful childhood memory of mine. When Ellen Rooney agreed to illustrate the book, she, too, had similar powerful memories.
It’s about dusk in summertime and its mysteries and revelations. It’s about the endless outdoor playtime and its wonders and gifts. It’s about connection and imagination, letting go and being free.
It’s about relationships and our need of them. It’s about so many things that we are probably missing right about now, especially for our children, for ourselves. Soon we will be able to whisper to our friends again and play tag and leap frog. Soon we will be able to bear hug, hold hands, and skip.
But for now, we certainly can go outside. Watch the sunset. Let the wind tickle our noses. Hunt for toads. Ride bikes. We can breathe in the scent of freshly cut grass. Jump rope. Spot fireflies. Sit under the stars. We can show the kids in our lives the healing importance of the outdoors.”
~Lindsay Leslie, Dusk Explorers
