GOOD NIGHT, BREAK A LEG

The late Shuford, a theatrical performer who with his spouse, Stephen Hanna, chronicled their lives on the Instagram account Broadway Husbands, pays tribute to the pull of theater with this semiautobiographical tale.

While some parents read bedtime stories and tuck their children in, our young protagonist’s fathers spend their evenings singing and dancing for packed audiences. Told from the child’s perspective and addressing readers in second person, the narrative captures both the excitement of backstage life and the tranquility of cozy family routines. The young narrator understands that his dads’ jobs may look different from those of other parents, but he treasures their daytime moments together and admires the passion that sends them downtown each night to chase their dreams—passion that encourages him to dream big, too. The loose rhyming couplets create a playful, energetic rhythm, though some lines feel uneven, constrained by the rhyming form. Hager’s warm digital illustrations have a cheerful gouache feel, using shifts in layout and lighting to blur the line between everyday family life and the magic of the stage. Both fathers and their son read white. Particularly refreshing is the book’s casual representation of a two-dad family. Shuford died of cancer before the printing of this book, making its message all the more poignant.

A charming ode to dreams as big as Broadway—and a sweet reminder that everyone deserves to pursue their aspirations.