Although the smiling tot going through a familiar bedtime routine begins, “Night-night me and night-night you,” there is no adult present in this sequential, rhyming valediction to everything in sight. There is some superficial resemblance to Goodnight Moon, but the varying perspectives—the child in situ alternates with framed close-ups of such items as pajamas, toothbrush and teddy bear—colors and textures keep the eye from relaxing into slumber. Each page-opening features some tactile element, from furry spots on a giraffe to a flannel blanket to draw over the child, which will assuredly engage babies. It’s a happy depiction of the bedtime journey that ends with the child snoozing in the crib, but whether the babies being read to will go to sleep or not is another matter. (9-18 mos.)
Pub Date: May 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7641-6234-3
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Barron's
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2009
1882
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-689-82979-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1999
Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201835-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
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