GOODNIGHT, GOOD DOG

It’s bedtime for a puppy who is not sleepy at all.

Though the biscuit-brown puppy knows that it’s dark and that his moon-round bed is ready for him, he is not sleepy. He knows he’s had a busy day and understands the words, “Goodnight, good dog,” but it does not matter. The house is asleep, and the children are too, but this little canine is still moving. Like many of the little ones who will read this perfectly paced goodnight book, this good dog doesn’t think he is ready for bed, but just getting comfy in the bed allows him to feel snug enough to drift off to dreamland. The muted acrylic drawings, outlined in heavy black lines, show the darkening house quieting down for the evening. This keeps the focus on the dog, allowing young readers to observe the puppy and predict just when he will drift off, never realizing that the puppy is the perfect stand-in for the human child, who is also beginning to settle in for the night. Rich language (“Maybe he can dream back the sun?”), so rare in a book that new readers might tackle on their own, adds to the appeal. The pace of the page turns gently slows down as this good dog heads to his dreams.

Goodnight, Good Dog. Sure to be shelved next to Goodnight, Moon. It deserves that rarefied spot.