Dingo in the dark by Sally Morgan

Ill. by Tania Erzinger. Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781742990972
(Age: 4+) Dingoes. Australian animals. Sleep. Poor Dingo cannot abide the dark. He is a sunshine dog, needing Sun to be there so he can sleep. He howls at Moon all night so during the day he is so tired he sleeps while his friends play. He chases Sun hoping to catch it to make it shine all the time enabling him to sleep and play.
Owl and Possum remonstrate with him about his howling and ask him why he does it. He tells them he is afraid of the dark. They point out to him that Sun watches over them during the day and Moon watches over them during the night. So Dingo is able to sleep with Moon watching over him.
This is a neat story teaching younger children about night and day and what happens in each part of the day.
The story illuminates the passage of the moon and sun during the day, and shows children what they must do during each part of the day.
Erzinger's oil based illustrations show clearly the passage of the sun and moon overhead, encouraging the readers to see how each changes and the effect of each on the environment.
Readers will be able to discuss their fears, particularly that of being afraid of the dark while sharing this book. Teacher notes are available from Scholastic.
Fran Knight