Late at night, when the owls are out, some people are awake—and doing all sorts of interesting things! They are on the night shift. Open this book, and you will discover the nighttime world of people who go to work when you are sleeping: Street sweeper Window dresser Radio DJ Security guard Newspaper printer Bridge painter Zookeeper Freighter captain Truck driver Road worker Donut baker Fisherman Tug boat captain Waitress Come meet them all!

With lyrical narration and elegant, evocative artwork, Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse and illustrator G. Brian Karas share the nighttime experience of a father and child. When the sun sets, Dad’s job as a school custodian is just beginning. What is it like to work on a Friday night while the rest of the city is asleep? There’s the smell of lilacs in the night air, the dusky highway in the moonlight, and glimpses of shy nighttime animals to make the dark magical. Shooting baskets in the half-lit gym, sweeping the stage with the game on the radio, and reading out loud to his father in the library all help the boy’s time pass quickly. But what makes the night really special is being with Dad. Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse’s quietly powerful story of a boy and his father is tenderly brought to life by G. Brian Karas in this luminous tribute to an enduring, everyday sort of love.

In researching this book, the author took on the role of a hostess in one of Tokyo's many "hostess clubs". The resulting text critically examines how such establishments create bonds among white-collar men and forge a masculine identity that suits the needs of their corporations.