A Great Big Night

The rhythmic, vibrant verse text, peppered with lively onomatopoeic sounds, dances off the pages, begging to be read aloud. Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews.

A rolllicking, rhyming picture book about music-making critters, community and friendship.

The music train was a happy sight
Clickity-clackity three on bikes
Rolling in for a great big night.

When three travelling frog musicians roll through the forest on their painted bicycles, the other animals know they're in for a great big party. Only one of them is not having fun: grumpy old grouse. Just as he's telling everyone to stop with their foolish racket, their ruckus, their riff-raff, a great big storm rolls through the woods and puts an end to all the fun. When they emerge in the sleepy, dewy dawn, the animals see that grouse's home is ruined, and quickly band together to help him. Together, the frog musicians and their friends show grouse that music is for more than just a party: a fiddle, a golden guitar, and a drum, when played just right, can do just as much good as the knock-knock-bang of fixing and making brand-new.

Kate Inglis's playful and inventive language and Josée Bisaillon's rich and textured illustrations bring to life this happy group of friends filling the great green forest with their music. A wonderful testament to community-building, music-making, and friendship.

Kate Inglis is an award-winning author who writes books about pirates and giants and mermaids and magic and all the stars and all the ways we love each other. And frogs in a teeny-tiny folk band. Sometimes for kids and sometimes for grown-ups, Kate's novels and poetry are a mish-mash, and always infused with the salt, woodsmoke, and fresh air of the North Atlantic coast. Everyone knows mish-mashes keep you sharp.

As a young girl, Josée Bisaillon loved drawing cats and houses. She enjoyed school and always returned home full of stories to tell. She pursued her education all the way to university, where she fell in love with illustration. Since then, scissors and brushes in hand, Josée has illustrated more than 40 picture books.