Good Night! Good Night!

by Carin Berger, Carin Berger (Illustrator)

Overview

Three little bunnies do NOT want to go to bed, and they use every excuse they can think of to stay up just a little longer. A playful and interactive picture book, featuring a call-and-response text and stunning collage artwork by award-winning author-artist Carin Berger.

It’s time for bed! Mama Bunny’s three little ones do not want to go to bed, but after good-night hugs, good-night kisses, good-night tickles, and a lot of jumping around, they finally do! A lively call-and-response text makes this book an especially good fit for storytime and bedtime. Large type, loads of rhythm and repetition, and Carin Berger’s beautiful cut-paper illustrations add to the excitement and make this a true celebration of the love between parent and child.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062408846
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/03/2017
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.70(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Carin Berger is an award-winning designer and illustrator. Her cut-paper collages are made using ephemera, such as catalogues, old books, receipts, letters, and ticket stubs. In a starred review, Kirkus said of her Forever Friends, “Sophisticated, sensitive, and accessible, this picture book will offer new insights and pleasures with each season.” The Little Yellow Leaf was a 2008 New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books selection, and in starred reviews, Publishers Weekly called her A Perfect Day “lovely” and her Finding Spring “exceptional.” She is also the illustrator of the acclaimed Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant, both by Jack Prelutsky, among other books. She lives with her family in New York City. www.carinberger.com

Carin Berger is an award-winning designer and illustrator. Her cut-paper collages are made using ephemera, such as catalogues, old books, receipts, letters, and ticket stubs. In a starred review, Kirkus said of her Forever Friends, “Sophisticated, sensitive, and accessible, this picture book will offer new insights and pleasures with each season.” The Little Yellow Leaf was a 2008 New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books selection, and in starred reviews, Publishers Weekly called her A Perfect Day “lovely” and her Finding Spring “exceptional.” She is also the illustrator of the acclaimed Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant, both by Jack Prelutsky, among other books. She lives with her family in New York City. www.carinberger.com

Editorial Reviews

10/31/2016
In crisp paper collages, Berger (Finding Spring) homes in on the coziest of subjects—an aproned bunny mother and three pajama-clad bunnies—as the family shares a bedtime ritual: “Good-night stories. Good-night songs. Good-night hugs. Good-night kisses.” One bunny is gray, another’s brown, and the third is white, a quiet gesture toward inclusiveness, and the deep shadows and dark blue backdrops of Berger’s images provide dramatic visual theater. The bunnies read a story, sing songs (swirly ribbons of printed music pour from their mouths), and the mother bends down to cuddle each bunny, her love drifting in cutout pink hearts up to the ceiling. Suddenly, a cream-colored spread signals a break from the routine: “Dances!” “Dances?” All three bunnies take off, twisting across a spread. The mother bunny obligingly adds this item to the litany: “Here we go... Good-night stories. Good-night songs.... Good-night hugs. Again. Good-night dances.” Cue more shenanigans: “Monsters!” “Jumping beans!” Childish exuberance gleefully alternates with parental restraint until lights out (finally). Meticulous artwork can sometimes drain a story of spirit, but Berger’s careful craftsmanship enhances the warmth of hers. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Childish exuberance gleefully alternates with parental restrain until lights out. ...Berger’s careful craftsmanship enhances the warmth of her [story].” — Publishers Weekly

“Tons of fun...Berger’s distinctive cut-paper collage art makes the book as much fun for looking as it is for listening. Both the paper work and design have a thoughtful simplicity exactly right for the age group.” — Booklist

“Share the bedtime ritual of a mother rabbit and her three young bunnies. After stories, songs, hugs, and kisses (followed by another hug, of course), each youngster adds something special and unexpected. ...Words and illustrations work together seamlessly to present a charming, cumulative, and playful tale.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Tons of fun...Berger’s distinctive cut-paper collage art makes the book as much fun for looking as it is for listening. Both the paper work and design have a thoughtful simplicity exactly right for the age group.

Booklist

Tons of fun...Berger’s distinctive cut-paper collage art makes the book as much fun for looking as it is for listening. Both the paper work and design have a thoughtful simplicity exactly right for the age group.

Booklist

01/01/2017
PreS—Share the bedtime ritual of a mother rabbit and her three young bunnies. After stories, songs, hugs, and kisses (followed by another hug, of course), each youngster adds something special and unexpected: good-night dances, good-night monsters, good-night jumping beans (limited to three by the wise mother). Mama draws the line at monkeys. Text builds and repeats in different typefaces in varied sizes and is expressively placed to enhance the collage illustrations. Crisp lines of each textured cutout stand out on spreads. The use of open, flatly colored backgrounds augments the rhythm and movement of the text, while the simple forms of the illustrations effectively suggest emotion. Words and illustrations work together seamlessly to present a charming, cumulative, and playful tale. VERDICT Sure to be a "Read it again" bedtime favorite.—Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library

School Library Journal

2016-10-19
Three mischievous bunnies finally fall asleep in this playful look at the bedtime routine.As stars appear, mother rabbit declares, "It's sleepy time." Thus begins the rabbits' nightly ritual of reading and singing, hugging and kissing, tucking in and...dancing? Silliness ensues, and the routine starts over, repeating and lengthening as new antics arise. Finally, with a gentle "No," mama carries her happy procrastinators to bed. Cozy in their darkened room, they sleep. The artist's intricately cut collage work neatly captures the bunnies' impish exuberance. And everything, from the text to the design, is meticulously thought through. Readers understand the mother's patience, her slight exasperation, and her love for her brood not only through the words themselves, but also through their visual appearance (size, typography, placement on the page). Likewise, her bunnies' desire for fun is represented by collaged cutout letters; background colors reflect their sleepiness level. It's hard not to compare Berger's tale to the beloved classic Goodnight Moon—both feature an adult female rabbit and a bedtime routine. But where Clement Hurd's surreal, atmospheric artwork stirs the soul, Berger's aesthetic and narrative choices feel more methodical. However, not limited by the collage medium, her skillfully designed work is extremely marketable. Young readers will giggle over the bedtime jollity, while parents may recognize the familiar bedtime battle and see themselves in the mother rabbit whose love and patience prevail.(Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews