GOODNIGHT, I LOVE YOU
by Caroline Jayne Church & illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church
An evening routine provides stability for two smiling siblings.
The pair bathe together in the tub. Drying off with towels, they put on pajamas and share a nighttime story with their favorite stuffed animals before they pull the covers up over their noses. The tale highlights the interactions between sister and brother, exuding coziness as they finally relax. There's no adult physically depicted in the pictures, even when the two splash puddles of water on the floor. An adult presence is indicated in the lulling narration, though: “Snuggle the covers / and off with the light, // Dream little dreams, // I love you, good night.” The youngsters demonstrate tremendous independence; they scrub themselves clean and open wide to brush their teeth. The clean layout provides, appropriately, few details; stitched hearts float in the background near their beds in a symbolic departure from the realism otherwise portrayed. The padded cover adds extra softness.
A quiet depiction of self-reliant slumber.
(Board book. 1-3)