NIGHT RIDE, by Christopher Myers, Kokila, Sept. 29, 2026, Hardcover, $19.99 (ages 4-8)
A group of kids ride their bikes through New York City in Night Ride, a wordless picture book by Christopher Myers.
Setting out on a warm and glorious night, a group of kids grab their bikes to explore a city that for a moment in time feels like it belongs entirely to them. Riding from Harlem, through Central Park, to Chinatown, and over the Brooklyn Bridge, the iconic landmarks of New York City become mirrors that reflect their joy and freedom. Rooted in the quotidian and expanding into the fantastical, this wordless picture book by Caldecott Honoree Christopher Myers is illustrated entirely in stained glass, reminding us that Black childhood is beautiful, fragile, and holy. —Synopsis provided by Kokila
Night Ride is a wow book. When it arrived, my 12-year-old flipped through it and exclaimed, “That is so cool!” It’s more than cool. It’s exquisite.
In Night Ride author/illustrator Christopher Myers takes readers around the city he loves through pictures. There’s a great energy and feeling of movement throughout that makes you feel as if you are next to kids, flying down the streets. Along the way, you pass landmarks that are both familiar and new, gaining a sense of the joy the city can bring. The stylized stained-glass illustrations are deceptively simple and complex at the same time. Excellent backmatter includes a note from the Myers about cities and how the stained glass in the book was created.
Night Ride is a book that belongs on every book shelf.
Copyright © 2026 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.
