The Night at the Museum

by Milan Trenc

Here is the original inspiration for the blockbuster "Night At The Museum" movies--starring Ben Stiller--from 20th Century Fox. In this charming, funny picture book that started it all, Larry becomes a night guard at New York's Museum of Natural History. He thinks it's going to be an easy job, but is he in for a surprise. After dozing off, he wakes up to find the most amazing vanishing act in the museum's history. The museum's entire collection of dinosaur skeletons has disappeared! In a panic, Larry rushes from one room to the next--then dashes outside into Central Park, and then next door into the planetarium. Where did the skeletons go? Who is the dinosaur thief? How in the world will Larry ever get those dinosaur bones back? Originally published by Barron's in 1993, this mystery-comedy picture book features the author's original captivating, hilarious, full-color illustrations on every page.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Media Tie In, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Animals

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1993

About the author

Milan Trenc (born 1962) is a Croatian illustrator, comics publisher, film director, novelist and educator.

Born in Zagreb, there Trenc first went to the School of Applied Arts, which is a high school, then studied film direction at the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Arts. While there, he started publishing comics and after graduation he worked at Zagreb Film, where he created The Blentons, an episode in the animated film The Game directed by Krešimir Zimonić. In 1985, Trenc became chief illustrator of Start magazine until 1991. In 1990, while still with Start, he made The Big Time, later shown at the London Film Festival. Throughout this time he was also publishing comics and illustrating the covers of national and international publications. He also wrote and directed Ghost Story, a film for Croatian TV.

Trenc left Start to move to New York City, where he published comic strips in Heavy Metal Magazine and illustrations in publications including The New York Times, Time, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker and Fortune. He wrote and illustrated The Night at the Museum, a children's book set in the New York Museum of Natural Sciences and published in 1993 by Barrons Juvenile. The book was produced as a feature film in 2006 and subjected to a novelization by Leslie Goldman. In 2000, Trenc completed his own feature film Zen Stories. Since 2004, he has taught directing and animation at the Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts. Trenc has won awards from Print and the Society of Publication Designers for his illustrations in The New York Times.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so much fun, whether you've seen the movie on which it is based or not. The basic premise is the same, with Larry becoming a night guard at the museum, and the exhibits coming to life. This (original version of the) story, however, has many other night guards also working at the museum and looking after other exhibits. Larry is just supposed to keep watch over the dinosaur skeletons. But, he accidentally falls asleep and awakens to find only one bone! Where have the dinosaurs gone!? The other guards get him to help them with their work while he looks around the museum for the missing dinos. There is a bit of a trick involved, and while I don't generally like tricks (especially those played on new employees, classmates, etc.), I think in this case it is okay and done with good spirits and doesn't harm Larry. The ending is very cute and I like how it brings things back together into the real world and how YOU might visit a museum one day and find a sleeping security guard... ;-) Recommended to those who enjoy humorous tales, and especially to anyone about to visit New York's Museum of Natural History. I'm surprised and sorry the book isn't better known, especially with the movies' success.

[Lisa Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book a few years ago and was surprised that the major motion picture was based on this little known book. This book is another delightful addition to our growing book collection. The book follows the adventures of the nightwatch man at the museum. The pictures are full of color and they really grab your attention. The book is witty and very descriptive. The pictures coincide very well with the words. My son finds that it is hilarious that all of the museum exhibits come alive at night. This story captured our attention and we thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. This would be a great book to share at story time because children would delight in what happens from page to page.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last summer my children discovered The Night at the Museum and its sequel. They watched both films a dozen times each. During one of the times my son asked where the idea for the film came from. So I went to IMDB and looked up the first film. It listed Milan Trenc as the author of a picture book of the same title.

Well that was that, we had to read the book. I had to use Link+ to get a copy sent up to my library but it was worth it. The book is adorable.

In the book there's a new night guard, just like the first movie. He's left in charge of the dinosaur room and front and center there's a T-rex skeleton, just like in the film. And he goes missing. The rest of the book follows the new guard as he tries to find the missing skeleton and is lead on a wild goose chase throughout a museum that has come to life.

The picture book is one small piece of the film. The book doesn't try to explain why the exhibits come to life. Nor is it one guard all by himself. It's still got the same spirit and magic of the films and I recommend it to any young (or old) fan of them.

[Virgil]

FNAF looks different than I remembered

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

My hubby took our girls to see the movie "Night at the Museum" awhile back. I've only seen bits of the movie, but I was reading some of the discussions at the Children's Books group here at Goodreads and discovered that the movie was based on this book. How interesting! So, of course we had to check it out.

The story is humorous, although our girls were sure to point out the many differences between the book and the movie. The illustrations are very colorful and cartoonish and add to the hilarity of the story. And we laughed when we read the ending that explains why you might someday find a sleeping museum guard. Overall, it's an entertaining tale and we enjoyed reading it together.

[This Film is Lit]

A thrilling family romp with dinosaurs, ancient civilizations, and problematic love stories. It’s Night at the Museum, and This Film is Lit.



Listen to us on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and more!

[scl.ashx · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is simpler, a little less polished, and more about the sheer absurdity of museum exhibits coming to life than any grand, action-packed adventure.

The movie? Total glow-up. It takes the basic premise and runs with it, adding layers of story, humor, and, of course, Ben Stiller’s deadpan delivery. The film amps up the stakes, giving us fleshed-out characters like Teddy Roosevelt and an actual villain to root against. The book feels more like a quirky bedtime story, while the movie is an epic family comedy that keeps you entertained start to finish.

[Paige Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

1) This book is about Larry, the new night guard at the museum and he is called to watch over the dinosaur exhibit, but quickly falls asleep. He wakes up, and to his surprise the dinosaur bones are missing. Larry goes to get one of the other guards and sees all of the animals out of the exhibit, came to life and is wondering what in the world is going on. The guard tells him they let the animals strecth their legs and get something to eat at night, and to check in the food room that the dinosaurs may be down there. Larry checks down in the food room, still can't find them and he keeps finding bones, and keeps following them and looking everywhere for the dinosaurs. He finally finds them where they orginally were, and realizes the guards were just playing a trick on him. The museum is about to open for the next day and all of the animals and people are back in their exhibit. Larry's boss asked him how he liked the night shift, he said he liked it but Larry was tired. The boss asked then asked him to take the dayshift as well, so therefore if you ever go into a musuem and see a guard sleeping, he may of had a crazy night the night before.
2) Age Level: 4-7 years old, Grade Level: Preschool-2nd grade
3) Appropriate classroom use of this book could be used during History to combine a number of Historical events in one lesson based off of the book
4) Individual students who might benefit from reading this book would be students who have seen the movie and loved it, or students that enjoy history
5) Small group use of the book could be to assign each group a person or animal mentioned in the book that esacped and have them research more information on that topic and share with the class.
6) Whole class use of this book could be to read the book, and watch the movie as well. This movie does have many historical references in it, which would be great for the students to watch and learn about, while also having fun.
7) Related Books: American Museum of Natural History, Another Night at the Museum
8) As far as multimedia connections, there is a movie called Night at the Museum that is based off of this book which would be good to play in the classroom, and also a Kindle version available of the book.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

"So if you see a guard asleep when you visit the museum, don't wake him up. He might be recovering from a very difficult night."

3.5 out of 5 stars

It's Larry's first night on the job at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural history, and he's so excited! All he has to do is stay with the dinosaur skeletons and make sure nothing happens to them. Pretty easy gig; right? But then the dinosaur skeletons disappear, causing Larry to make a mad dash through the entire museum just to find them. Along the way, Larry finds out some surprising things that happen during the night shift at the museum and that despite some people's assumptions, a museum full of inanimate things can actually be quite lively.

I had no idea that this book was the basis for the Night at the Museum franchise. It's been so long since I've seen the first movie, but I remember it being pretty entertaining. And having read the source material, they truly did expand and add onto it.

The illustrations were simplistic but darling. It reminded me of old 1950s and 1960s children's illustrated books as well as The Family Circus, ironically.

Being a history buff (and also a dinosaur enthusiast), I think little baby Katherine would have found this book entertaining and delightful. The storyline is simple, but it holds your attention and can be a good choice for a read aloud as well. It makes me want to go back and revisit the movies.

A hearty recommendation for museum enthusiasts and those who loved the movie franchise.

[Christy Broderick⁷ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute book & I see where a lot of the ideas for the movie came into play. There was one page in particular that rang a bell that I remember seeing in the movie(s). If you’re looking for a quick, fun & entertaining book, look no further!! ❤️

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun to read and the pictures are pretty neat too. It would be a very interesting read for the children. However, I felt that the movie was better than the book. (Probably because the movie is directed towards much wider range of audience?)

[Justine at BookSirens (A Community of ARC Readers) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have children, make them read this amazing picture book before you make them watch the movies based on this book. Short and wonderful, The Night at the Museum lets your imagination go wild and, in its own way, is fun, educational, entertaining, and captivating.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story and a peek inside the nightly happenings in a museum

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book for kids. An even better movie.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vibrant illustrations and an adventurous story. The essential idea of the movie based on this book is there, but the book is a fun and slightly different story. A great read.

[Haaley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiration for the movie! Definitely fun.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually liked this quite a bit, it's a right good little read

[Naliza Fahro-Rozi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming, funny picture book .

[Gary Vassallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read! Great to read with young children.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and fun! Good for storytime. :)

[Tani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute! Nothing like the movie haha

[Jennifer Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful book and the basis for the popular movie. I love the idea of a museum coming to life at night. Kids will certainly love this little gem of a picture book.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun storybook where it all began.

[Melanie Gaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw surprised to learn this book exists. I loved the movie as a kid and thought the book was cute.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was beautifully illustrated (I loved the details and bright colors), and it was such fun to read!

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so cute. I had no idea the movie Night at the Museum was based on a kid's book. Adorable.

[Castro · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars

[Brian Trull · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a unique story bringing history to life!

[Cori Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it!

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The basis for the motion pictures, this picture book is funny and sweet. Telling the story of Larry, a new night shift guard at the Museum of Natural History, who takes a rest and makes the mistake of resting his eyes. When he wakes from his cat nap, the dinosaur skeletons he's meant to watch. The adventure which follows made me smile.
Now, the movies have moved up my to-watch list.