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ON THE STROKE OF GOODNIGHT

Name: ON THE STROKE OF GOODNIGHT
Author: Clay Rice
ISBN: 978-1-64170-144-0

by Clay Rice ; illustrated by Clay Rice ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2019

Simply sublime.

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A lyrical poem fit for any bedtime ritual.

Rice captures the soothing rhythms of the night in an ode to bedtime that will please any toddler. Using what appear to be cut-paper silhouettes on solid and gradient-color backings, Rice fills each page with images of evening repose: ducks napping, deer browsing, a squirrel sleeping, and so on. The silhouettes are touched with buff highlights, giving them shape and suggesting feathers, fur, and a fawn’s spots. In many of the pictures, the image of a clock can be seen with its hands pointing to the late-night/early-morning hours to further suggest the lateness of the day. Often superimposed on tree trunks, the clock takes on many forms—a duck’s home, a birdhouse, a shed, and so on—to better blend into the scenery of the night. The poem centers on a rural family of unknown ethnicity with chickens, sheep, and farming equipment, but urban and suburban children will respond to the story as well based on the easy flow of the rhyme, the titular line acting as a refrain. “A calf in the barn. A sheep in her stall. / A colt casts a shadow on the weathered wall. // A hen warms her eggs. Rooster waits for first light. / And all is quiet at the stroke of goodnight.” The story should also find a place of honor in pajama storytimes in schools, preschools, and libraries.

Simply sublime. (Picture book. 2-6)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-64170-144-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Familius

Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
ANTS 'N' UNCLES
by Clay Rice ; illustrated by Clay Rice

- BOOK REVIEW
THE STICK
by Clay Rice ; illustrated by Clay Rice

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LONELY SHADOW
by Clay Rice ; illustrated by Clay Rice

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WAKE UP, IT'S EASTER

by James Krüss & illustrated by Frauke Weldin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2012

A jovial, sunny story with a slightly unusual interpretation of the role of rabbits in Easter celebrations.

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This pleasant, rhyming story was first published in Switzerland, adapted from a children’s poem that describes several animals working together to alert all the rabbits that Easter is coming.

In the introductory pages, Mr. Croak the raven flies down to tell Vicki Vole that Easter is coming. She spruces up for the holiday “as all good creatures do” and then sets off to find her friend Rob Rabbit. He appears to be in bed recovering from a cold, but he bounds up and takes off in a hurry to spread the news to the other rabbits about Easter’s impending arrival. The final spread shows several rabbits at a distance romping across a green field with tiny eggs just visible hidden among the spring flowers. Mr. Croak and Vicki Vole enjoy a cup of tea together as one rabbit approaches them with baskets of decorated eggs. The story could not be much slighter, and the rhymes are sometimes a little sing-song, but the pleasant, cheery tone of the text is matched by soft-focus illustrations in bright, jewel tones against azure blue skies.

A jovial, sunny story with a slightly unusual interpretation of the role of rabbits in Easter celebrations. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-7358-4070-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: NorthSouth

Review Posted Online: Feb. 14, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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DADDIES DO IT DIFFERENT

by Alan Lawrence Sitomer & illustrated by Abby Carter ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2012

Unfortunately, this does not salvage the tale. Better choices abound, such as Marjorie Blain Parker and R.W. Alley’s When...

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Readers are in for a predictable, stereotypical comparison of how this particular mother and father differ in how they interact with their winsome daughter.

The text follows a strict pattern, stating what Mommy typically does and following with how “daddies do it different,” even though there is only one daddy/mommy pair depicted. Mommy is usually pleasant and proper and gets things done: “When Mommy feeds me breakfast…. I sit nicely at the table, munch a piece of toast….” Daddy indulges in somewhat foolish behavior: “We make a fort with waffles, get syrup on the dog, and eat cereal straight out of the box!” (Mommies sharing this with their children will wonder who gets to wash the dog.) Carter ably paints the contrasting scenes in what appears to be watercolor. Most of these dichotomies make logical sense. Mommy teaches her daughter to make sauces while Daddy gives a lesson on how to juggle eggs and so on. But some are less successful: “When Mommy gets her nails done, I sometimes get mine painted, too. When Daddy watches Sunday sports, I sometimes see him cry.” But on the last spreads mom and dad each tuck their daughter in, give her a kiss and tell her how much she is loved in “the exact same way.”

Unfortunately, this does not salvage the tale. Better choices abound, such as Marjorie Blain Parker and R.W. Alley’s When Dads Don’t Grow Up (2012) and Stephen Cook’s Day Out with Daddy (2006). (Picture book. 3-6)