Navigating Night

Anne Schwartz Books, Penguin Random House 2026

Written by Julie Leung

A girl guides her dad on his route delivering Chinese take-out food in this touching picture book, written by an APALA-award winner, that celebrates the unique bond between immigrant parents and their children.

Every night, a girl must help her dad, whose English is not as good as hers, make deliveries for their small family restaurant. Sitting next to him in the car, she studies a map and gives him directions in Cantonese. She helps him get to the places he needs to go.

She hates doing this, though. Hates carrying grease-stained boxes of Mongolian beef and moo goo gai pan to customers’ doors. Hates being different from the kids behind these doors. Why can’t her family be normal like everyone else’s?

But when her dad tells her about how he immigrated, all alone as a teenager, to the United States, she comes to better understand him, and appreciate how he has made her American life possible.

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  • A Kirkus Most Anticipated Children’s Books of Spring 2026

  • A Brightly Most Exciting Picture Books Coming in 2026

  • Four STARRED reviews ★★★★

Trade Reviews

  • ★ “Kang creates her gorgeous, moody illustrations in gouache, crayon, colored pencil, and pastel… An impressively realistic, heartfelt exploration of family dynamics and illuminating understanding.”

    —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

  • ★ “Ingeniously rendering the stormy drive, blue-hued spreads of gouache, crayon, pencil, and pastel illustrations capture the child’s emotions…The creators highlight a distinct bond and sacrifices made across generations.”

    —Publishers Weekly, starred review

  • ★ "Kang’s dynamic mixed-media illustrations mirror the story’s emotionally resonant arc, moving from discomfort and tension to understanding and connection... An homage to love and resilience."

    —The Horn Book, starred review

  • ★ “Lush illustrations in gouache, crayon, colored pencil, and pastel beautifully evoke the rainy setting and emotional arc of the story... Together, the realistic writing and expressive artwork create an insightful and moving portrayal of family, sacrifice, and connection within the immigrant experience.”

    —Booklist, starred review

Book cover titled "Navigating Night" with an abstract blue night scene, rain, and a lit-up storefront labeled "Peking House."
Illustration of a man and a girl with paper-wrapped food containers walking in the rain through a dark parking lot with a delivery truck. The right page has text describing a nighttime scene with a delivery person handling takeout containers.
Illustration of a person with black hair looking out from inside a car, with a side mirror showing a yellow-lit building, creating a colorful, watercolor-like scene. Contains text: "But I don't want to be a good kid. I want to be a normal kid."
Illustration of two children, a girl in a green jacket and hat holding a Coca-Cola bottle, and a boy in a yellow jacket with a tray of food, inside a home. A person is seen through the doorway carrying more trays of food in the background.
Illustrated children's storybook showing a rainy night scene with a car driving through a neighborhood, a person looking out a window, and a child reading a map with worried expression.
Child sitting on an airplane looking out the window at the city lights of New York City at night.
Open children's book with illustrated night scene. Left page shows two children in a school bus at night, looking out the window at dark sky and clouds. Right page shows a car waiting at a traffic light under a moonlit sky.