Good night, me by Andrew Daddo
Ill. by Emma Quay. Hachette, 2015. ISBN 9780734415851
(Age: Toddler) Recommended. Board book. Night time. Sleep.
Encouraging a small child to go to sleep is made easier with this
reprint of Daddo's winning story of bed time. Used as the focus book
in the 2006 National Simultaneous Storytime, Andrew's website
gives information about how the story came to be.
The simplicity of its evolution is matched by the deceptive
simplicity of its telling, as the child going to bed must say
goodnight to each of its body parts. So goodnight is said to its
feet, then knees, then legs, tummy and so on, until its nose is
reached and then finally good night. Each part drops off to sleep
shown beautifully by the pencil and watercolour illustrations,
beginning with an enthusiastic moving child to one bedded down with
a sheet over the top, ready to sleep until morning.
Reading this tale will encourage a child to hunker down with the
story and be part of the illustrations as they go from movement to
stillness, from alert to drowsy, then sleep.
The use of a baby orangutan is wonderful as young children will
immediately be enthralled at the contrast of an animal and a baby,
noting the clothing, the sheet and pillow. The illustrations give
the story another level of interest to readers as the orangutan is
shown in all sorts of poses in its bed.
First published in 2005, this publication as a board book will
ensure it is read over and over again by the target audience.
Fran Knight