Culture 1 Review - Good Night, Sleep Tight

 

Bibliographic Information

Fox, M. 2013. GOOD NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT. Ill. by Judy Horacek. London, UK: Orchard Books. ISBN 9780545533706

Plot Summary

A sweet good-night story by internationally bestselling picture book author Mem Fox! Good Night, Sleep Tight reunites bestselling picture book author Mem Fox with illustrator Judy Horacek, following their collaboration on Where is the Green Sheep? In this sweet story that's just perfect for bedtime reading, Bonnie and Ben's favourite babysitter tells them nursery rhymes at bedtime - including "It's raining! It's pouring! The old man is snoring"; "This little piggy went to market"; and more. Bonnie and Ben enjoy the stories so much that they don't want to go to sleep; they want to hear each one again! Instead the babysitter tells them new nursery rhymes until, finally, all three of them fall fast asleep.

Critical Analysis

A precious book that contains a cute twist on classic nursery rhymes.  Before reading Good Night, Sleep Tight, I had never read anything by Mem Fox. Boy, was I missing out! Reading this to my 5 year old and 2 month old was so much fun. It was especially adorable because my daughter’s name is Bonnie just like one of the main characters! We were just tickled by that. Typically children’s books focus on one or two nursery rhymes. I enjoyed how this book contained many! The repetitive text makes it a nice option for toddlers, who tend to like predictability and to memorize their favorite stories. The children in the book ask their favorite babysitter, Skinny Doug, to tell them stories again and again to avoid bedtime, something every parent reading can relate to! While the rhymes are drawn from traditional British/American nursery lore, the storytelling frame is accessible to global audiences. Children from many cultures can relate to the idea of being tucked in with stories or rhymes, making it both culturally specific and universally appealing. One by one, Skinny Doug recites classic children’s rhymes to the children, taking older readers on a trip down memory lane, and exposing young readers to a variety of poetic little stories! The illustrations light the imagination for each rhyme. The colors are bold and the drawings are simple and cartoonish. When the book was done, my 5 year old echoed Bonnie and Ben from the book, “Will you tell it again?”

Awards Won & Review Excerpt(s)

“Ben and Bonnie’s babysitter, Skinny Doug, has a cool way to put his charges to sleep—with familiar rhymes. Familiar to him, that is. “Good night, sleep tight. / Hope the fleas don’t bite!” is one. “This Little Piggy” and “Pat-a-cake” are others. But they are new to the children, who say the same thing after each recitation: “‘We love it! We love it!’ said Bonnie and Ben. ‘How does it go? Will you say it again?’” Skinny Doug does not repeat, though. Instead he says, “I’ll tell you another. / I heard from my mother.” (This interplay does get the tiniest bit tired by the book’s end.) While a couple of the ditties will be new to American audiences (like “Round and round the garden / Like a teddy bear”), most will have children chanting along. The Quentin Blake–style pictures alternate between simple, warm scenes of Doug and his charges and the amusing ink-and-watercolor pictures that illustrate the rhymes, sometimes quite intricately. A fun book that will remind parents to pass along the golden oldies.” - Booklist

"A perfect choice for storytimes." -School Library Journal

Connections

*1. Click on the link and listen to Mem Fox read the story Good Night Sleep Tight.

2. After listening to the story, get a piece of paper and write a connection to the story. Here are some ideas to get you thinking about your connection:

Does anyone read to you before bed?

Have you ever had a babysitter put you to bed?

What do you do to get ready for bed?

How does this book remind you about getting ready for bed?

*Think of another nursery rhyme or short fairy tale. Illustrate it like the drawings in Good Night, Sleep Tight.