Swedish writer-illustrator Mellgren's eccentric story offers the emotional depth of a novel and artwork worth a gallery showing. Crisp, silkscreenlike spreads in plum, sienna, umber, and olive tell the story of Elsa, a badger who finds a cloudy blob of something "neither an animal nor a ghost" in her apartment. She recognizes the intruder as fearful, wriggly Night; she shuts the thing in a cake tin with some raisins and puts it in the basement. Without night, though, life in Elsa's town grinds to a halt. Fatigue and heat set in, and she gives in and lets the Night out: "The Night has shrunk and gone a bit pale around the edges, but at least it has eaten some of the raisins." Now, unexpectedly, crusty Elsa becomes the vulnerable one, while Night becomes her comforter and confessor. She tells Night about her years at sea, her career as a lighthouse keeper, about her beloved elephant Olaf and his death, while Night listens and strokes her hair. Strange and memorable, it's the kind of story whose fans will be passionate, if not necessarily numerous. Ages 3-8. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

In this poignant import, a lonely badger who hasn't slept in 30 years discovers Night hiding under her sofa and pops it into a cake tin.Though Elsa initially expresses indifference that the constant daylight has everyone in town stumbling wearily about, she soon releases her captive. Giving it a cup of blackberry juice, she confides that she lost the ability to sleep through years of lighthouse tending with beloved elephant companion Olaf and, later, alone. Following tears and a shared outing to Olaf's grave, she drops off at last, whereupon Night tenderly lifts her up and then passes back through town breathing cool winds and going "from house to house, tucking everyone into bed." Elsa and the other city residents sport dot-eyed animal heads in Mellgren's blocky, screen-printed scenes. Night starts off as a small, featureless blue blot but grows as the pages turn, ultimately acquiring stars and silhouetted buildings with lit windows as it spreads over emptied streets. A subdued, mildly soporific bedtime story with sophisticated emotional and metaphorical levels to explore for those so inclined. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

This elegant wordless book captures the enduring appeal of the simple flashlight. In gouache illustrations on black pages, a child starts the evening in a tent, then ventures out, projecting pure white cones of light to reveal a delicately drawn riot of nocturnal creatures and other surprises. When he trips and drops his lamp, the animals join the fun. Even they know there is nothing quite as cool as shining that beam into the deepest dark of night. GEORGE IN THE DARK Written and illustrated by Madeline Valentine. 29 pp. Knopf. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 8) On one page it's good-night kisses; on the next, little George is out the bedroom door, then clinging to it for dear life. "Every night it was the same routine," Valentine writes, cheekily capturing the failure of parenting advice in the face of primal terror. Her delightful illustrations move from bubbly daylight scenes to a scribbly nighttime world of menacing toys. There's relief, and a nice, unpreachy lesson in the meaning of bravery, as George rescues his bear from "the scariest and darkest place." SMALL BLUE AND THE DEEP DARK NIGHT Written and illustrated by Jon Davis. 40 pp. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 8) Waking up in the middle of the night is a trial for Small Blue, a stuffed rabbit the color of a moody daytime sky and furrowed with worry about witches, goblins and the like. A bear called Big Brown answers his call, letting Small Blue cling to his enormous shaggy body, turning on the light and suggesting whimsical alternatives for each of the rabbit's horrid imaginings. It's a winning approach to fear of the dark: lots of physical closeness, a few flights of imagination, and a gentle dash of cold, hard logic. WHAT THERE IS BEFORE THERE IS ANYTHING THERE (A SCARY STORY) By Liniers. 19 pp. Groundwood/ House of Anansi. $18.95. (Picture book; ages 4 to 9) The renowned Argentine cartoonist lets his subversive flag fly in this canny and genuinely scary picture book. A boy alone in the dark faces, first, an array of boogeymen, then an even more existential terror: a black, branching miasma of sinister nothingness. He flees to his irritated parents' bed, but alas, even there, the cycle begins again. A certain kind of child, and more than a few adults, will find a paradoxical comfort in the honest lack of answers or uplift. ELSA AND THE NIGHT Written and illustrated by Jöns Mellgren. 26 pp. Little Gestalten. $19.95. (Picture book; ages 4 to 9) As dawn approaches, a sleepless, grieving badger named Elsa discovers a dark blue, bean-shaped creature hiding in her kitchen: the Night. They go on an adventure, and he proves to be a loyal friend and a force for good. After all, as this ingenious and gorgeously drawn book reminds us, the Night can bring not just cool breezes and "an end to all the quarrels," but also, when we're hunkered down with our misery, the sweet release of a shift in perspective. ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.