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Nightlights #2
Hicotea: A Nightlights Story
The mind-bending, psychedlic sequel to Lorena Alvarez's best-selling graphic novel debut Nightlights is now available in a new paperback edition!
On a school field trip to the river, Sandy wanders away from her classmates and discovers an empty turtle shell. Peeking through the dark hole, she suddenly finds herself within a magical realm. Filled with sculptures, paintings and books, the turtle's shell is a museum of the natural world. But one painting is incomplete, and the turtle needs Sandy's help to finish it.
On a school field trip to the river, Sandy wanders away from her classmates and discovers an empty turtle shell. Peeking through the dark hole, she suddenly finds herself within a magical realm. Filled with sculptures, paintings and books, the turtle's shell is a museum of the natural world. But one painting is incomplete, and the turtle needs Sandy's help to finish it.
64 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2019
8 people are currently reading
1472 people want to read
About the author
Lorena Alvarez Gomez
29 books345 followersLorena Alvarez was born and raised in Bogotá, and studied Graphic Design and Arts at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. She has illustrated for children books, independent publications, advertising and fashion magazines. Since 2008, she has been part of “La Procesión Puppet Club”, an experimental puppetry group of illustrators and visual artists.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 392 reviews
April 9, 2019
I had expected this to be a tale about environmental conservation, specifically wetlands. To some degree, it is, but that degree is small. This is more about the power of imagination and creation, the ability to bring life and passion into your projects, to grow something bigger than you. And also about not letting greedy crows (or perhaps corporations) take everything, leaving you huddled in fear.
It's not the written word part of the story that makes this so engaging - that part is a little vague and hard to follow. It's the illustrations. They are enchanting, including the endpapers.
It's not the written word part of the story that makes this so engaging - that part is a little vague and hard to follow. It's the illustrations. They are enchanting, including the endpapers.
May 27, 2021
Lovely advanced picture book with a soft message about environmental conservation and a stronger one about imagination and fear.
If you loved The Neverending Story but your children are not yet old enough to read it, I recommend this as having a number of themes and images in common.
If you loved The Neverending Story but your children are not yet old enough to read it, I recommend this as having a number of themes and images in common.
October 24, 2021
As the second book in the Nightlights series, I found this installment of the series to be just a tad better than the first. I still think that it's a little bit more whimsical than I prefer; however, the artwork is mind blowing.
Hicotea doesn't necessarily pick up where the first book left off; however, it focuses on a new adventure that Sandy goes on while on a school trip. I think that this one was more enjoyable for me because I understood the importance of the environmental issues that were being addressed. And the characters that Sandy meets along the way were extremely reminiscent of those that a reader would find in Alice in Wonderland. The artwork’s absolutely gorgeous. This color palette choice in this second book was even more enticing than the first. Honestly, if anything I'll continue to read this series solely for the artwork because it's so beautiful.
Hicotea doesn't necessarily pick up where the first book left off; however, it focuses on a new adventure that Sandy goes on while on a school trip. I think that this one was more enjoyable for me because I understood the importance of the environmental issues that were being addressed. And the characters that Sandy meets along the way were extremely reminiscent of those that a reader would find in Alice in Wonderland. The artwork’s absolutely gorgeous. This color palette choice in this second book was even more enticing than the first. Honestly, if anything I'll continue to read this series solely for the artwork because it's so beautiful.
May 1, 2022
We're back with little Sandy whom we were introduced to in the first book of this series,
Nightlights
.
This time, we're accompanying her on a school field trip. On the trip, Sandy finds an empty turtle shell and a whole realm within. She also meets the resident turtle, the titular Hictoea, and finds out that the shell contains a kind of library/museum of the whole natural world and that the turtle needs her help with the painting showing the wetlands Sandy is currently visiting.
Once again, Sandy's imagination as well as the author's fantastic way of taking the reader to all the places Sandy dreams herself to are wonderful.
That plus the cute, colourful and very expressive art make this book a delight!
Once again, one of the main messages is the power of imagination but also fear. It was therefore highly interesting to see Sandy after the events of the previous book and thus see her personal growth. But this book had a few other messages, one having to do with environmentalism - in a nicely soft way though - and the other with a love for books and art (another carry-over from the previous volume).
A fantastic member of my collection and I'm hoping the author will continue this series.
This time, we're accompanying her on a school field trip. On the trip, Sandy finds an empty turtle shell and a whole realm within. She also meets the resident turtle, the titular Hictoea, and finds out that the shell contains a kind of library/museum of the whole natural world and that the turtle needs her help with the painting showing the wetlands Sandy is currently visiting.
Once again, Sandy's imagination as well as the author's fantastic way of taking the reader to all the places Sandy dreams herself to are wonderful.
That plus the cute, colourful and very expressive art make this book a delight!
Once again, one of the main messages is the power of imagination but also fear. It was therefore highly interesting to see Sandy after the events of the previous book and thus see her personal growth. But this book had a few other messages, one having to do with environmentalism - in a nicely soft way though - and the other with a love for books and art (another carry-over from the previous volume).
A fantastic member of my collection and I'm hoping the author will continue this series.
July 4, 2021
The second in Lorena Alvarez Gomez's series, Nightlights. The first book was Nightlights, and there doesn't seem to be any real connection between the books to make it a series, except maybe that the art style is very similar--for young kids, colorful, fanciful. Hicotea is an improvement over Nighlights, though both focus on the importance of imagination.
This book opens with a teacher announcing a class field trip to the (endangered) wetlands, so you're thinking this will be a book primarily about the environment, but when Sandy finds a tortoise shell and looks inside, she sees a veritable library or museum of art and history. I don't mean that Gomez intends to tell us that a turtle is a living artifact of its own experience, and aesthetically beautful, though these things may be true. The turtle, Hicotea, invites Sandy inside where there are paintings and books. Is this a story about the thirst and passion for knowledge and imagination? It's nt completely clear to me.
Hicotea invites Sandy to complete her own painting of the wetlands, her own vision of it. So she does this for her teacher. Is this fantasy? What does this have to do with the wetlands? Hicotea's artworks, NoBrow (the publisher) says (in its description of the book), constitute a "museum of the natural world." Okay. I'm not sure what that means, exactly, but the effect seems to be that it invites readers to experience the natural world in their own creative ways. I think.
I am pretty sure this story and the meaning of the art/natural history museum inside a turtle would be confusing for a child reader, since it was for me, but I like it and think other readers would, too. It's more developed, more elaborate, than Nightlights. The digital art is busy, packed with images, but impressive.
Because of my confusion, 3.5 stars, rounded up for the artwork, though it could have been rounded down to 3 stars for the story. But she got me on a good day, when two others in the house, teenagers, also read it and said they liked the cool art. When I asked them what it was about, one of them said: "Beauty!" I said what about the natural world? "Beauty!" What about that inside-the-turtle museum? "I have no idea, but it's cool! And the art is really good."
This book opens with a teacher announcing a class field trip to the (endangered) wetlands, so you're thinking this will be a book primarily about the environment, but when Sandy finds a tortoise shell and looks inside, she sees a veritable library or museum of art and history. I don't mean that Gomez intends to tell us that a turtle is a living artifact of its own experience, and aesthetically beautful, though these things may be true. The turtle, Hicotea, invites Sandy inside where there are paintings and books. Is this a story about the thirst and passion for knowledge and imagination? It's nt completely clear to me.
Hicotea invites Sandy to complete her own painting of the wetlands, her own vision of it. So she does this for her teacher. Is this fantasy? What does this have to do with the wetlands? Hicotea's artworks, NoBrow (the publisher) says (in its description of the book), constitute a "museum of the natural world." Okay. I'm not sure what that means, exactly, but the effect seems to be that it invites readers to experience the natural world in their own creative ways. I think.
I am pretty sure this story and the meaning of the art/natural history museum inside a turtle would be confusing for a child reader, since it was for me, but I like it and think other readers would, too. It's more developed, more elaborate, than Nightlights. The digital art is busy, packed with images, but impressive.
Because of my confusion, 3.5 stars, rounded up for the artwork, though it could have been rounded down to 3 stars for the story. But she got me on a good day, when two others in the house, teenagers, also read it and said they liked the cool art. When I asked them what it was about, one of them said: "Beauty!" I said what about the natural world? "Beauty!" What about that inside-the-turtle museum? "I have no idea, but it's cool! And the art is really good."
October 15, 2019
Li esse livro logo depois de ter finalizado Nightlights. Achei que o livro seria uma continuação e que fosse aprofundar mais algumas questões que o livro anterior trouxe, mas na verdade as histórias são meio que independentes.
Nesse volume, Sandy vai com sua turma da escola visitar o pantanal (inclusive foi com esse livro que aprendi que wetland é pantanal hehe) e acaba vivendo uma aventura.
Amei tanto quanto o primeiro. Foi uma experiência muito gostosa de leitura.
A única coisa que senti um pouco de falta foi que achei que fosse ter mais questões sobre consciência ambiental pela história se passar no meio da natureza (teve um pouquinho).
Nesse volume, Sandy vai com sua turma da escola visitar o pantanal (inclusive foi com esse livro que aprendi que wetland é pantanal hehe) e acaba vivendo uma aventura.
Amei tanto quanto o primeiro. Foi uma experiência muito gostosa de leitura.
A única coisa que senti um pouco de falta foi que achei que fosse ter mais questões sobre consciência ambiental pela história se passar no meio da natureza (teve um pouquinho).
November 23, 2021
A beautiful story and absolutely GORGEOUS artwork. Wow.
Read
March 9, 2020We must always keep going, even if we're scared of what's ahead.
On a school field trip to the wetlands, Sandy wanders away from her classmates. After coming up on an empty turtle shell, she peers inside. The next thing she knows, she finds herself in a magical realm full of more than just the wetlands and its inhabitants. This secret world may not only hold questions that plague our world and our minds, but the answers to them to.
A story of facing fears head on. What happens when one girl's imagination comes to life in the wetlands.
Trigger warning for animal harm (dissection).
Curious, passionate Sandy's mind was always abuzz, falling down imaginative rabbit holes. Ever inquisitive, the young girl always kept looking for answers, even if she didn't always like what she found. A kind-hearted soul, Sandy's compassion for Hicotea, and the wetlands situation in general was lovely. From nuns and her school peers to daunting villains, she learned to fearlessly challenge other's ways of thinking and stood up for what she believed in. Creative, sensitive, and brave, Sandy was certainly admirable.
From Hicotea, a wise but scarred creature, to Den, a caretaker of the majestic realm, to Livion, a frighting prescene that obliterates all that's bright, Sandy met a few souls that challenged the way she approached nature, creativity, and fears within herself. A timid lover of knowledge, Hicotea showed Sandy what could happen if she listened to the doubts and fears of her mind. Genuinely friendly, this intriguing collector quickly became my favorite character, as I believe she'd have a wealth of stories to tell. A protector to the very end, Den showed her the importance of caring for something and building it up bit by bit. Creatively named Livion kind of came out nowhere, but he nonetheless filled me with the same self doubt and fears as Sandy. I loved everything these characters stood for.
The world is large, but our ideas and passions make its boundaries limitless. That, along with the worries and fears that tend to appear no matter how strong you are, were creatively shown to be at war within this graphic novel. Gorgeously illustrated, this story of environmentalism, imagination, and standing up for your beliefs took my breath away. Sandy's journey may not follow the most coherent timeline, but her adventure will sweep you off your feet as she helps her wetland friends and goes up against a terror that transcends the barrier of both this world and our own. The second installment in the Nightlights series, it definitely doesn't follow the same plot as the first, but the same whimsical beauty will free the reader's mind. Bursting with colorful scenes of a slightly odd world and characters that you will come to adore, this book flies by. Lorena Alvarez Gomez's newest work effortlessly imparts the importance of not letting your fears trap you, of persevering, and of trying, no matter how hard it gets. Simply stunning, Hicotea is the type of graphic novel that I could read again and again without ever getting tired of. I can't wait to see where Sandy's imagination will take her next.
Hicotea is a delight for your eyes and your soul.
On a school field trip to the wetlands, Sandy wanders away from her classmates. After coming up on an empty turtle shell, she peers inside. The next thing she knows, she finds herself in a magical realm full of more than just the wetlands and its inhabitants. This secret world may not only hold questions that plague our world and our minds, but the answers to them to.
A story of facing fears head on. What happens when one girl's imagination comes to life in the wetlands.
Trigger warning for animal harm (dissection).
Curious, passionate Sandy's mind was always abuzz, falling down imaginative rabbit holes. Ever inquisitive, the young girl always kept looking for answers, even if she didn't always like what she found. A kind-hearted soul, Sandy's compassion for Hicotea, and the wetlands situation in general was lovely. From nuns and her school peers to daunting villains, she learned to fearlessly challenge other's ways of thinking and stood up for what she believed in. Creative, sensitive, and brave, Sandy was certainly admirable.
From Hicotea, a wise but scarred creature, to Den, a caretaker of the majestic realm, to Livion, a frighting prescene that obliterates all that's bright, Sandy met a few souls that challenged the way she approached nature, creativity, and fears within herself. A timid lover of knowledge, Hicotea showed Sandy what could happen if she listened to the doubts and fears of her mind. Genuinely friendly, this intriguing collector quickly became my favorite character, as I believe she'd have a wealth of stories to tell. A protector to the very end, Den showed her the importance of caring for something and building it up bit by bit. Creatively named Livion kind of came out nowhere, but he nonetheless filled me with the same self doubt and fears as Sandy. I loved everything these characters stood for.
The world is large, but our ideas and passions make its boundaries limitless. That, along with the worries and fears that tend to appear no matter how strong you are, were creatively shown to be at war within this graphic novel. Gorgeously illustrated, this story of environmentalism, imagination, and standing up for your beliefs took my breath away. Sandy's journey may not follow the most coherent timeline, but her adventure will sweep you off your feet as she helps her wetland friends and goes up against a terror that transcends the barrier of both this world and our own. The second installment in the Nightlights series, it definitely doesn't follow the same plot as the first, but the same whimsical beauty will free the reader's mind. Bursting with colorful scenes of a slightly odd world and characters that you will come to adore, this book flies by. Lorena Alvarez Gomez's newest work effortlessly imparts the importance of not letting your fears trap you, of persevering, and of trying, no matter how hard it gets. Simply stunning, Hicotea is the type of graphic novel that I could read again and again without ever getting tired of. I can't wait to see where Sandy's imagination will take her next.
Hicotea is a delight for your eyes and your soul.
October 11, 2019
A trip inside a Tardislike tortoise shell gives Sandy an unforgettable lesson in wetland conservation.
The story is a bit more developed than Nightlights #1, and once again, Gomez's artwork is rapturously beautiful.
The story is a bit more developed than Nightlights #1, and once again, Gomez's artwork is rapturously beautiful.
October 27, 2019
Lorena Alvarez continues to amaze in yet another heartfelt story where young Sandy dives headfirst into her fears and unlocks a world of magic and wonder.
This second Nightlights story explores crushing feelings of self-doubt and how that doubt can put limits on our world and on how we see ourselves. Sandy's curiosity and passion is something that makes her world infinitely bigger than she could ever imagine, and she has to confront those dark places in herself in order to keep it that way.
To me, this story also explores how turning away from questions we don't want answers to and shielding ourselves from the unknown only makes out world smaller until it closes in on itself. It is a fight and a journey to keep our hearts open, but a fight worth undertaking.
I love this series and highly recommend it not only for folks with young readers, but readers of all ages!
This second Nightlights story explores crushing feelings of self-doubt and how that doubt can put limits on our world and on how we see ourselves. Sandy's curiosity and passion is something that makes her world infinitely bigger than she could ever imagine, and she has to confront those dark places in herself in order to keep it that way.
To me, this story also explores how turning away from questions we don't want answers to and shielding ourselves from the unknown only makes out world smaller until it closes in on itself. It is a fight and a journey to keep our hearts open, but a fight worth undertaking.
I love this series and highly recommend it not only for folks with young readers, but readers of all ages!
January 31, 2019
I had no idea a sequel to
Nightlights
was on the way until I spotted copies at ALA Midwinter! Hicotea shows off Alvarez's artistic talent. She uses two-page spreads in a way not seen in Nightlights - spectacular settings fill the pages while the characters move across them (have I described that enough? i.e. you'll see Sandy and Hictoea in multiple spaces on a single page, as they move across the scene). The colour palette differs from Nightlights, with subdued but still lovely purple, green and orange tones that suit the wetlands atmosphere. I love looking at Sandy's expressions and considering how just a few subtle tweaks can transform her expressions (I adore her rosy cheeks and pigtails). However, the narrative is not as strong as in Nightlights. Morfie, who was unnervingly depicted at the end of Nightlights, does not appear in this story. As the title suggests, this story focuses more on the turtle Hicoteaand the other-worldly wetlands than it does on Sandy's personal experiences. Hicotea is a lovely atmospheric read, not as a creepy as Nightlights, making it suitable for a wider audience.
April 18, 2019
I was delighted to find that Nightlights had earned a sequel since its ending was a bit...ambiguous, let's say. Hicotea, though, makes a clean break from the events of the first book in the series. This time around, Sandy's on a field trip to the wetlands, where she falls inside a turtle shell and has some seriously Alice in Wonderland-style adventures. Lorena Alvarez's artwork continues to mesmerize, but the story is a bit out there, almost to the point of incoherence. I think it's a parable about environmentalism? In any case, I love looking at Sandy's adventures, even if they're hard to understand.
September 1, 2021
I liked this better than Nightlights, and it completely stands on its own. It's a little confusing, but absolutely gorgeous!
April 16, 2019
I read Hicotea straight after Nightlights, which coloured my expectations in a particular fashion: with the first book providing more questions than answers, I imagined the second would explain some of the original mysteries. That really doesn’t happen.
Where Nightlights was more of a traditional ghost story, Hicotea is a fable. It has a couple of amazing characters, who do feel more grounded in the world around them than their counterparts in the first instalment. The same can be said about Sandy’s (the protagonist’s) classmates, who receive something of a character arch each.
The art, again, is spectacular and every detail on the page is worthy of attention, becoming almost a whirlpool of attraction. There is a flow to the visual narrative, with Lorena Alvarez creating engaging and fresh compositions throughout the book: her representation of time and space is great.
I cannot quite say the same about the story and the plot beats: the narrative is too slow and too quick at once, skipping important steps, so when you arrive at the conclusion, it feels neither logical nor emotionally earned. Which is a pity. Still, I’m going to read and buy every book in this series; they are too damn unusual and beautiful not to.
Where Nightlights was more of a traditional ghost story, Hicotea is a fable. It has a couple of amazing characters, who do feel more grounded in the world around them than their counterparts in the first instalment. The same can be said about Sandy’s (the protagonist’s) classmates, who receive something of a character arch each.
The art, again, is spectacular and every detail on the page is worthy of attention, becoming almost a whirlpool of attraction. There is a flow to the visual narrative, with Lorena Alvarez creating engaging and fresh compositions throughout the book: her representation of time and space is great.
I cannot quite say the same about the story and the plot beats: the narrative is too slow and too quick at once, skipping important steps, so when you arrive at the conclusion, it feels neither logical nor emotionally earned. Which is a pity. Still, I’m going to read and buy every book in this series; they are too damn unusual and beautiful not to.
January 31, 2020
"Sometimes it is easier to stay quiet. People get tired of questions that can't be answered. Or scared of the answers they find..."
I enjoyed this second installment more than the first. I felt like this one was more of a clear, concise story, in my opinion. I adore the art in this book. The illustrations are fabulous. It's so bright and colorful, which is perfect for the magic and wonder that Sandy experiences and explores. I really like that Sandy is such a strong kid and stands up for what she thinks is right. I enjoyed the environmental aspect and how even the smallest things can make a difference, how one person can make a difference. I loved that this story is so much larger than itself. I'm glad I picked this up. It was such a quick, cute read.
March 24, 2019
LORENA ALVAREZ CAN DRAW!!!!
I would love to see more work from this AMAZING artist.
Nightlights dealt with artist fears and overcoming your own expectations about said art. Hicotea seems - to me - to deal with our impact on the environment.
Sandy continues to be our strong heroine. She questions the nuns and even questions the other girls’ motives and ways they look at things.
The girls take a trip to the local marshlands and of course Sandy ends up off on her own. She discovers a turtle shell that is empty... or is it...
And so her adventure begins. As usual 😉
I would love to see more work from this AMAZING artist.
Nightlights dealt with artist fears and overcoming your own expectations about said art. Hicotea seems - to me - to deal with our impact on the environment.
Sandy continues to be our strong heroine. She questions the nuns and even questions the other girls’ motives and ways they look at things.
The girls take a trip to the local marshlands and of course Sandy ends up off on her own. She discovers a turtle shell that is empty... or is it...
And so her adventure begins. As usual 😉
July 19, 2022
I thought this was a great sequel to Nightlights. Sandy is such a great character and she is off on a field trip with her class to look at nature and she and her lab partner are butting heads on how to do their project. Sandy then discovers a turtle shell and then magic begins to happen and she is trying to help out to complete a natural history museum in this magical realm. I still love the art style of this middle grade graphic novel.
August 7, 2020
Beautiful art, absolutely incoherent story.
January 16, 2022
a stunningly illustrated, magical, thought provoking and heartfelt read.
March 22, 2022
So beautiful! I picked this up to flip through & couldn't put it back down. I finally got to read it through & the story is so lovely. It felt like I was watching a movie with how expansive all the pages are. I didn't realize it was part of a series, so I'm excited to get the next one. Would rec this for kids who love to draw & daydream or adults who love stunning artwork.
January 5, 2020
review here: https://youtu.be/l9c4rNh3UcA
January 8, 2022
Es un libro para pensar, sin duda alguna. Engaña con los dibujos infantiles y siendo la protagonista una niña, pero trata bastantes temas. Eso sí, me ha parecido v una locura
June 26, 2019
Gorgeous and imaginative and strange! I loved encountering Hicotea's home, as well as a message about inquiry and preserving what's disappearing.
November 14, 2022
loved this one even more than the first, a museum hidden in a turtle shell hidden in a wetland? yes pls!
July 14, 2019
This is really exquisitely beautiful. Every drawing is a piece of art in itself. The little girl Sandy completely takes you in as she did in part one. Just read this.
December 21, 2020
THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL, VISUALLY STUNNING!!!!!!
i want to own this book so i can absorb it forever!! It's is JUST SO GOOOOOOOD
and cute woweee
i want to own this book so i can absorb it forever!! It's is JUST SO GOOOOOOOD
and cute woweee
June 27, 2022
The illustrations were absolutely STUNNING ✨ They were so detailed that I found myself poring over them after reading the text, for longer than usual.
The story was good but not GREAT, maybe because it was too short so I couldn't really connect with the characters.
The story was good but not GREAT, maybe because it was too short so I couldn't really connect with the characters.
August 22, 2019
2.5 ⭐️
December 1, 2019
Absolutely stunningly GORGEOUS but, like Nightlights, I’m a bit indifferent to the story. Worth it just for the artwork though, and I might have liked it more had it been wordless.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 392 reviews