Continuing with the Anne of Green Gables theme along with books like Anne's Colors and the graphic novel version, we now have Goodnight, Anne, a delightful bedtime book featuring Anne Shirley at Green Gables, as she carefully says goodnight to the people and places that are important to her -- from Marilla and Matthew to Diana and the Lake of Shining Waters, Anne lovingly weaves in many Avonlea favorites that she must bid goodnight to before she can sleep.

I love the subdued nature of the illustrations, and the complementary, sunset-like colors that permeate everything. I also like the whimsical Anne and the way the text captures her voice and exuberance. 

Will this appeal as much to children who've never read the series as it does to adults like me who've enjoyed it for decades? Maybe not to the same degree, but while they may not experience the nostalgia, they will hopefully still be intrigued by the setting, and relate to the different personalities of the people in Anne's life -- parent figures, bosom friend, and enemy (Gilbert). Hopefully in addition to being charming and enjoyable now, this book will pave the way for a child's enjoyment of the actual series when they are old enough.

(In compliance with FTC guidelines, I disclose that I received this book for free through LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I was not required to write a positive review.)

Scrounged From: A LibraryThing giveaway

Format: Hardcover
Author: Kallie George
Illustrator:  Geneviève Godbout
Pages: 40
Content Advisory: Anne's declaration on the page featuring Gilbert that she will never forgive him might benefit from some context from an adult.

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Time for Bed, Miyuki is a charming, fantastical story of a girl who doesn't want to go to bed. While that is not an unusual theme for children's literature, this story stands out by its use of amusing fantasy elements (such as a family of giant snails, and creative use of character sizes), as well as the celebration of certain aspects of Japanese culture.

I love the colors in the illustrations, and the way that fantasy is incorporated into reality -- I think it strikes a good balance. Miyuki's grandfather patiently plays along with each of her requests to complete all the different things she must do before bed, but by the end she finally does lie down and go to sleep, making this a great, whimsical bedtime story.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Roxane Marie Galliez
Illustrator: Seng Soun Ratanavanh
Pages: 26
Content Advisory: None

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Book Scrounger's note: The following is a guest review by Doug, a.k.a Professor Puzzler:

I just wrote a book review for Little Beaver and the Echo; this is another book that I absolutely love the pairing of text (by Sherri Duskey Rinker) and illustrations (by Tom Lichtenheld). As a matter of fact, in Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, I would say that I like the illustrations more than the text. Don't get me wrong, I do like the text -- although there are some rhythmic stumbles in the poetry that caught me off-guard the first couple times I read it. But when I'm reading this book to my kids, I'm barely paying attention to the words I'm reading, because I'm looking at all those delightful illustrations.

The use of color is great, and in particular, the illustrator used different tinted papers for the various "times of day" illustrations, which resulted in all the daytime pictures, all the sunset pictures, and all the nighttime pictures each having the appropriate color warmth to them, because each shared a base color.

The story (which isn't really a story; there's no real plot to the book) focuses on the activities of five construction vehicles: a crane truck, a cement mixer, a dump truck, a bulldozer, and an excavator. Each machine (you can see the excavator in the picture here) has its own unique personality and facial features. Each vehicle has a section of the book, ending with the vehicle snuggling up for a good night's sleep after a long day's work. After each section, the book ends with a couple pages of wishing the team a good night.

If you have young children who are fascinated with construction vehicles, you should not be without this book!

Scrounged From: Amazon, for our four-year-old

Format: Hardcover
Author: Sherri Duskey Rinker
Illustrator: Tom Lichtenheld
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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The Goodnight Train is a charming bedtime book that we have been reading to our 13-month-old son quite often since he got it for his first birthday. 

It tells the simple story of a train setting off from its station with some children in tow, who appear ready for bed, but not quite ready to sleep yet. It starts off slowly creeping up a hill like a roller coaster, and then whooshes right down, past several interesting sights, before eventually slowing down again and bringing the children safely back to the station, snug in their beds, and ready to sleep.

The story is written in rhyme, which is particularly fitting for a book about a train, because it sets a very believable rhythm, especially when accompanied by the various "train sounds" that the reader is encouraged to make. I always find myself reading the fast parts quickly and with a lot of rhythm, and then slowing down and stretching things out as it gets toward the end, which I think is due to some well-crafted poetry and attention to detail.

Speaking of details, the illustrations are quite charming as well. It seems that each time I read it, I notice some new little part of the picture that I hadn't seen before -- be it the mermaid applying her night cream in the river under the bridge, or the porter sitting on the last car holding a sign that says "on break," or the squirrel in his tree opening up the fridge to find a midnight snack. 

These humorous bits add different layers to the story, and make it about more than just a train. Though the train and children are well illustrated too, and will certainly help the reader to experience the fun of being a child whose bed has become a train car on a wild pre-bed ride. 

Scrounged From: Amazon.com

Format: Board book
Author: June Sobel
Illustrator: Laura Huliska-Beith
Pages: 28
Content Advisory: None

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