I don’t know about you all, but I’m feeling a little sleepy. It’s near midnight. My mind is wandering, wondering what all those fairy tail bad guys do at night when they get home from terrorizing the likes of Snow White, Jack-in-the-Beanstalk, the Three Billy Goats Gruff, Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs, etc…during their day jobs. Thankfully, Deborah Underwood has written a book to answer just that question:
Awww, Wolfie has a pig stuffy!
Just look at that yawning wolf!
Poor, tired giant has worked up a sweat chasing that “awful Jack.”
Exhausted baddies heading home to the castle
“Sun dips down; the day is gone. Witches, wolves, and giants yawn. Queen and dragon, troll and gnome; tired baddies head for home.”Kids will end up sympathizing with those evil doers as they shed their bad selves like work clothes when they come home to the castle. The Troll washes his troubles away in a bubblebath. Wolves brush their fangs even though they haven’t caught Little Red Riding Hood or the Three Little Pigs.
And a blustering giant is scared of what he may find hiding under his bed. Now, what would you expect a giant to be afraid of, considering we’ve entered a world that has been turned on its head? I won’t spoil the surprise.
This lyrical story along with its watercolor and oil illustrations make me feel all warm and cozy, ready for dreamland. Deborah’s meter, rhyme, and word choices are spot on. Not a clinker in sight. And I love how she fearlessly uses the dreaded and much maligned semi-colon twice in the first stanza! Kudos, also, for the serial comma! Grammarians rejoice!
Yes, my friends, this one will be a bedtime favorite for everyone. Kids will love it for obvious reasons; parents will love it because they only have to read 221 words before tucking in their wee ones. But please give those sleepy little eyes extra time to savor the images before you turn out the lights and wish them sweet dreams.
TITLE: Good Night, Baddies
AUTHOR: Deborah Underwood
ILLUSTRATOR: Juli Kangas
PUBLISHER: Beach Lane Books (Simon & Schuster)
PUB DATE: 2016
TARGET AGE: Toddler-Kindergarten
For more recommended picture books, visit Susanna Hill’s blog for Perfect Picture Book Friday.
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