Before the World Wakes is a story I can appreciate (two siblings spending time together, just the two of them before the world has had time to fully wake), but it was the illustrations that drew me to the book.
Estelle Laure must have had a sibling relationship like the two in the story or have children who are like the two children of the book, as they have created a realistic and magical feeling. The art of Paola Zakimi is similar to the text with the soft and bold combination at the same time. Colorful without being too much and had a realistic cartoon-like atmosphere. They complement the text and have a little spark of their own.
However, that is it for me. It was a one time read, I will pass along my copy to others, but I am not going to keep it for myself. Yet, I can see this as the perfect bedtime story. You could take it out of your library, but I think this would be a fun gift from grandparents to grandchildren. The ages aimed for is the five to seven crowd. I can also see a seven to nine (young) reading this (younger ages with help, older solo) solo. It also could be a fun book for older siblings to read to younger ones, to create another type of connection.
I might not look for other books by Laure, but I did notice that Zakimi is the illustrator of The Christmas Tree Who Loved Trains. Therefore, since those were nice, I might continue looking for more of their work.