Nightlights

Truly stunning. The artwork is exquisite. Nightlights is a lot spookier than I expected  a picture book to get. Hicotea managed to have an unflinching moment looking at a dissected frog, then floated into a truly original world inside a turtle's shell and then made a point of indicating wetlands are under threat (if vaguely/supernaturally so). 
The two stories together feature  a young girl who makes great art and doesn't have much interest in homework or what her teachers have to say. Considering Alvarez's bio mentions “the experiences and atmosphere of the Catholic school she attended as a child”, I choose to believe the character Sandy also grew up to become a successful artist, appreciated in a world where nuns couldn't scold her anymore.