We're very familiar in this C household with Margaret Wise Brown as Goodnight Moon was one of the first books that Little Miss C had read to her at bedtime, and right now it's in the pile of books that we read to Master C before he goes to bed. It was interesting therefore to see Goodnight Little One
Little donkey on the hill,
Standing there so very still.
Making faces at the skies,
Little donkey close your eyes.
In this book we go round various animals as it become night time and tell them all to stop what they are doing as it's time to close their eyes and go to sleep. For each animal there is a very rhythmic four line verse which, when read aloud, is perfect for calming down an excited child when it's time for them to go to bed. One by one the donkey, monkey, sheep, pig, birds and cat all close their eyes to go to sleep and then it's the little child's turn.
The illustrations in this version of Goodnight Little One are by the talented Rebecca Elliott and very much match the words by having a soft, calming look to them. Upon one early reading Little Miss C did comment that the picture of the little one tucked up in bed looked "a bit scary" as it was a dark, but she hasn't mentioned it again on subsequent readings.
Goodnight Little One, much like Goodnight Moon, is a beautiful timeless children's story – as shown by the fact that Margaret Wise Brown died in 1952, yet books like this one continue to be re-published today. If you've not discovered her works before then I urge you to do so, and I really ought to check out some of her other books, especially since she wrote over 100 books in her lifetime!
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of Goodnight Little One by Parragon Books for the purposes of this review.
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