Good Night, Gorilla

by Peggy Rathmann Narrated by Anthony Edwards

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Say goodnight to the zany zoo animals featured in Peggy Rathmann’s Good Night, Gorilla! Children will delight in the images and sounds that seem to leap off the page of this fun bedtime book.

There is someone at the zoo making hilarious mischief you won't want to miss! Narrated by Anthony Edwards.

Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble Staff

Unaware that a gorilla has stolen his keys, a zookeeper wishes all the animals good-night and sets off for home. A troupe of newly freed beasts follow the sleepy keeper back to his house and into his bed. When the keeper's wife wakes to wish her husband good-night, many good-night wishes come back to her from out of the dark!

Publishers Weekly

Peggy Rathmann's Good Night, Gorilla returns as a hefty, oversize board book. Of this tale of a sneaky simian who escapes from the zoo, PW said, "Universally understandable subject matter and a narrative conveyed almost entirely through pictures mark this as an ideal title for beginners." Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Universally understandable subject matter and a narrative conveyed almost entirely through pictures mark this as an ideal title for beginners. A zookeeper makes his nightly rounds, bidding good night to a gorilla, a lion, a giraffe and so on. He doesn't know that the gorilla has procured his keys and is unlocking each animal's cage; a jungly crowd files quietly behind the keeper as he walks home and crawls into bed. When his wife says, ``Good night, dear,'' seven voices reply, ``Good night,'' and it's up to the missus to return the mischievous menagerie. Although Rathmann's illustrations lack the artistic ingenuity she displayed in Ruby the Copycat and Bootsie Barker Bites , the author/artist connects with her audience on several levels. Children can identify with the animals, who have toys in their cages (the elephant has a plush Babar) and resist being left alone in their ``rooms'' all night; they will also enjoy some minor subplots. Some details prove questionable (for example, one overdrawn visage of Mrs. Zookeeper seems blurry, particularly because she's rendered with a few simple lines elsewhere), yet these considerations take a back seat to Rathmann's comic exuberance. Ages 3-6. ( Apr. )

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-A mischievous little gorilla lifts the zoo keeper's keys on the first page of this sparely worded picture book. The brightly colored illustrations basically tell the entertaining story as the gorilla tags along behind the man, gleefully freeing all of the other animals, who then follow him single file into his neat little house. It is his unruffled wife who, without disturbing her sleepy husband, calmly returns the creatures to their cages. Even she, however, does not notice the wily gorilla, who, still in possession of the keys, returns to the house, slips into the big bed, and curls up contentedly between the people for the night. A clever, comforting bedtime story.-Jan Shepherd Ross, Dixie Elementary Magnet School, Lexington, KY

From the Publisher

"In a book economical in text and simple in illustrations, the many amusing, small details, as well as the tranquil tome of the story, make this an outstanding picture book." —The Horn Book, starred review

“The amiable cartoon characters, vibrant palette, and affectionate tone of the author’s art recall Thatcher Hurd’s cheerful illustrations. Delightful.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"A clever, comforting bedtime story." —School Library Journal, starred review

"Jaunty four-color artwork carries the story and offers more with every look." —Booklist

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172288029
Publisher:	Weston Woods
Publication date:	01/01/1998
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	Up to 4 Years

Read an Excerpt

Good night, Gorilla

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By Peggy Rathmann

G. P. Putnam's Sons

Copyright © 1994 Peggy Rathmann
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0-399-23003-3

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Chapter One

Good night, Gorilla.

Good night, Elephant.

Good night Hyena.

Good night, Giraffe.

Good night, Armadillo.

Good night, dear.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night

Good night.

Good night, zoo.

Good night, dear.

Good night.

Good night, GorilLa.

Zzzz.

Good night, Lion.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Good night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann Copyright © 1994 by Peggy Rathmann. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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