Dusk Explorers
It’s that special time of evening, when the hours and the possibilities seem endless as sunlight is fading to dusk. A buzz of excitement and wonder takes over the neighborhood … what outdoor adventures await? Join a diverse group of suburban kids as they dash and dodge in classic street games, like tag and kick-the-can, and reconnect with nature’s simple pleasures of catching toads, hunting fireflies, and climbing trees. These explorers play, laugh, and make the most of their own front yards right up until their parents call out, “It’s time to come home!”
This ode to the timeless magic of summer evenings spent outside will remind kids of the fun and friends that wait just outside their doors and leave adults smiling with nostalgia for their own dusk explorations.
Check out illustrator Ellen Rooney’s and Lindsay’s interview with Young Readers’ Editor Vicky Smith in Kirkus Magazine. Download the Dusk Explorer Activity Guide.
Praise
SCBWI Crystal Kite Award Winner 2021
Amazon Editors’ Pick
“This awesome, visually rich story will captivate adults who once played outside until the street lights came on as well as their kids, who will now want to.” — Kirkus, 
Starred review
“VERDICT This title will bring back childhood memories of innocent play for adults and spark interest in children to go out in nature and enjoy technology-free time with friends and family.” — School Library Journal
“In Leslie’s lyrical narrative (a child finds “courage in the roughness of bark”), children are observed in a work that is as interested in poetry as it is in the busy, unencumbered experience of exploratory play.” — Publishers Weekly
“Play a game of tag, catch fireflies, or hunt for frogs and worms in the prickly grass: everything holds a touch of magic during those idyllic twilight hours. A blend of painting and collage art captures the sky and setting sun awash in color, with dozens of happy, lively, joyful children traversing backyards and neighborhood streets as the moon and stars gradually rise. It’s a tribute to carefree summer evenings and an ideal choice for inspiring outdoor exploration and appreciation.” — Foreword Reviews
“Leslie’s gorgeous text doesn’t tell a story so much as it describes a glorious summer evening’s activities, and Rooney’s striking mixed-media illustrations contain an array of beautiful textures and hues, capturing the glowing tones of dusk perfectly—a glorious two-page spread of fireflies is particularly dazzling. Young readers will be eager for their own outdoor adventures by the end, and grown-ups reading aloud will no doubt feel nostalgia for the perfect summer evenings of their youth.” — Booklist
