Goodnight everyone by Chris Haughton

Walker, 2016. ISBN 9781406352320
(Age: 6 months - 6) Highly recommended.
'No dreamer is ever too small, no dream is ever too big'.
Chris Haughton's Goodnight Everyone is a simply told bedtime story, starting with a small yawn, that grows bigger and bigger until all the forest creatures fall asleep. Each turn of the page reveals the mice, hares, deer even Great Big Bear, and they are covered up and almost tucked into bed by the movement of the page. Of course Little Bear will not give, however all the animals are too tired and he too falls fast asleep.
Haughton's mastery of colour saturation, shape manipulation, composition and layout are key elements. Multi-layered digital images in vibrant, rainbow tones encapsulate and enliven this bedtime story. Engagement with the actions from small yawns, to gentle snores and a goodnight kiss opens up the simple, soothing narrative to a young baby.
The front and endpapers show the Southern and Northern night skies with the planets in order from the sun. The Little Bear and Big Bear constellations are highlighted and their shapes transform into the main characters. As the story is shared, look for the dandelion seed blown by one of the mice; it floats through the pages like the circle of life.
The easy to recite responsive text and bold illustrations make Goodnight Everyone by Chris Haughton a fantastic picture book for families to share. He writes about the inspiration for the book here.
Rhyllis Bignell