Written and Illustrated by Patrick McDonnell
2015, Hachette Book Group
The sun set, the moon rose, and Maggie helped Clement button his favorite pajamas – the ones with the blue and white stripes.
The plot in a nutshell: Three special friends have a pajama party.
Jean and Alan Alexander show up at Clement’s house for a pajama party. Clement is pretty much ready for bed already, but the three friends have a wonderful time together first. They dance, play, do some yoga, have some food and make a wish on a shooting star. When they hear a bird singing outside, they ask Maggie if it’s time for bed and she tells them it is. So they wash up and get ready. Maggie tucks them in and reads a story, but before they go to sleep, she asks them to say what they are thankful for about the day and they list all the things they did. She kisses them and they all say ‘thank you.’
Bookshelf favorite Patrick McDonnell gives us so much more than a bedtime book here. It’s actually a lovely homage to some classic children’s books and their creators. Maggie is a nod to Margaret Wise Brown and Clement is a rabbit in blue and white pajamas, just like in Goodnight Moon, which was illustrated by Clement Hurd. Jean is an elephant, just like in Jean de Brunhoff’s Babar books and Alan Alexander is a ‘silly old bear’ just like A.A. Milne’s most famous character. But even if you don’t recognize these references, the book is beautiful in its appreciation for the little things that make every day special.
It’s all about the noms.
The artwork is done in pen and ink, pencil and watercolor on handmade paper, with soft colors and wonderful little touches, such as the memorable curtained window from Goodnight Moon. As the book ends, we see that Maggie is actually curled up in bed with her three stuffed toys, which tells us this was in her imagination, as all of these characters got their starts in the imaginations of wonderful writers and artists. The concept of gratitude is always an important one to remember, especially in contemporary times when complaining is much more prevalent. This is a really special book that means more if you grew up with Pooh, Babar and the sleepy little bunny in the ‘great green room.’
And what did we learn? What I take away from this book is that life is so much sweeter when you take a moment here and there to recognize and appreciate the things you love.
Advertisements Share this:
