From School Library Journal
PreS—Lively rhythm, effective sound words, and an eclectic collection of toddler-pleasing animals all combine to create a charming bedtime book. As a child and her mother begin their evening ritual, they wonder about how different animals say good night. Soon parent and baby pairs are hanging or skittering or bathing or howling and growling their nighttime wishes. The vocabulary will enhance the read-aloud experience, e.g., "Mama Penguin and chick would stumble and slide/on slippery rocks in a hug-and-kiss ride." Soon, however, all are "tucked in tight" with the toddler surrounded by the small stuffed versions of the featured animals—all except slow Sloth and her cub. They began kissing on the first spread, and on the last page, they are "still…kissing good night!" It's an ending that's sure to elicit giggles from young listeners. The layout of the art and text adds to the fun as many of the characteristics and action words swirl across the page or pile up on top of each other. Illustrations, done in soft watercolors, range from full-page bleeds to small ovals and feature characters that swing or prance across the white space. The book is similar in approach to Claire Freedman's
Snuggle Up, Sleepy Ones (Good Bks., 2005) but it has more humor. It should find a place in most collections even if they already have Freedman's book or Dawn Apperley's
Good Night, Sleep Tight, Little Bunnies (Scholastic, 2002).—
Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A follow-up to Paul and Walker’s other bedtime tome, Little Monkey Says Good Night (2003), this book offers charming, fanciful visions of parents and children of various species preparing for sleep. The examples represent a variety of animals, from pythons and penguins to kangaroos and elephants, with each species accompanied by a rhyme that seems crafted for reading aloud: “Walrus calf and her papa would make whiskery swishes, / rubbing each other in scritch-scratchy kisses.” Paul takes well-known characteristics of each animal and pushes them to wonderfully silly extremes. The sloths, for example, which appear in various spreads throughout the book, are summed up on the last page: “But Sloth and her cub? Still . . . kissing good night!” Likewise, Walker has fun with anthropomorphism. His animals smile widely—even if they are upside down or underwater—and each parent has only one child to handle. Using soft color, Walker renders the nighttime rituals inventively, across pages and around panels, making this gentle book a satisfying bedtime selection. Preschool-Grade 2. --Abby Nolan
