HUGGED BY THE NIGHT

36pp., colour illus., hardback, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2026

ISBN: 9781797217178

This lyrical folktale by spoken-word poet Harold Green III is both a reassuring lullaby to allay bedtime fears and an affirmation of the beauty and power of Black identity.

In the forest a jaguar, a bird and a horse look up at the night sky and wonder how they can be as confident, proud and fearless as she is. When the sky hears their wishes she bestows a transformative gift on each one of them.