Good Night Engines [Hardcover]

Denise Dowling Mortensen (Author), Melissa Iwai (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2003 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

In this imaginative, inviting bedtime book, lyrical verse tells of various vehicles winding down for the night and "rolling off to bed." On alternate spreads, luminous paintings depict a little boy playing with toy engines in his bedroom as well as life-sized engines in the outside world. The soothing text and large, up-close pictures of trucks, planes, and fire engines, among others, will make this a favorite bedtime story of all toddlers and preschoolers who are fascinated with things that go.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-In this imaginative bedtime story, a little boy is putting his toy cars, trucks, train, and plane away for the night. As he guides the train along the windowsill one last time, a real one "thunders down the line" and quietly comes to rest. He brings his vehicles into safe quarters just as the neighborhood autos arrive at their carports. On the final page, the child sleeps in his bed, cradling a red toy car, his engine spent. Told in rhyme, the story is as smooth and easy as a familiar lullaby: "Wheels on runway in a rush./Grinding. Stopping. Resting./Hush." Iwai's acrylic, full-page spreads match the quiet text. Dominant colors reflect the shifting light, so that the pinks and oranges of the early pages give way to deeper purples and blues by book's end. The perspective changes not only from the boy's room to the outside world, but also from the scale of his playthings to the objects beyond. Children will relate to this depiction of this end-of-day ritual, and the book is sure to appeal to kids who love big rigs.
Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS. In her first picture book, Mortensen tells a very simple, rhyming goodnight story for toddler truck-and-engine lovers who must turn off their toy motors, switch off their lights, and go to sleep. The few words and Iwai's big, dramatic, double-page acrylic paintings connect the child's play on his bedroom floor with the exciting, cars, rigs, fire engines, and jet planes that roar outside his window. Both the real machines and the toys must stop and "park" in the "almost dark." The unforced rhyme beautifully expresses both the rush of the wheels and then the hush as they come "Grinding. Stopping. Resting." Like the big rigs coming into the truck stop, the boy rolls off to bed. His sister kisses him good night, and he falls asleep with a truck in his hand. Pair this with Margaret Wise Brown's classic Good Night, Moon. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; None edition (October 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618135375
• ISBN-13: 978-0618135370
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lyrical writing will lull kids to sleep!, October 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Good Night Engines (Hardcover)

The lyrical and melodic writing in this book is very appealing to small children - not to mention the beautiful illustrations. It's an ideal book for helping to soothe 'revved' engines at bedtime!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully helpful book !, October 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Good Night Engines (Hardcover)

This is a delightful book for little children that will help them make the transition from their busy play time to settling for the night in a tranquil and soothing manner. The words and pictures work well in portraying the winding down of all sorts of engines, both mechanical and internal! Reading this to their children will also help Mom and Dad leave the work-a-day world behind.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Little Boy Book!, March 18, 2008

By 

Kristine (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Good Night Engines (Hardcover)

My son is 23 months old and just loves this book! Since he learned how to walk, he stopped sitting on my lap to read his bedtime stories and would motor around the room as I read his book. However, we started reading this book a month or so ago and he now wants to be on my lap again:) He enjoys the story (rhyming words with a nice rhythm that catch his attention) and just loves the pictures! He especially likes the two pages with fire trucks on them. My son is on the go the entire day and has a short attention span, but this book makes him slow down and sit with me! Great book! I'm going to buy WAKE UP ENGINES next!