Good morning, good night A book of opposites in the city

Anita Lobel

Book - 2023

A family's day spent in the city reveals a wealth of contrasting images.

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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers [2023]
Language
English
Main Author
Anita Lobel (author)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
"A Paula Wiseman book."
Physical Description
pages cm
Audience
Ages 4-8.
Grades K-1.
ISBN
9781534465947
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

There's a lot going on in Lobel's gorgeous new picture book. The story follows a day in the life a young child and their parents, from waking in the morning to taking an extensive excursion around the city to falling asleep at bedtime. Once the outing begins, each spread highlights opposites that showcase the city as a place of contrasts. For instance, a "little" dog shares a spread with a "large" workman, and "fresh" flowers in a florist's window sit opposite an art gallery's "painted" blossoms. Many young readers will enjoy the completeness of the story and identify with the child's feelings, both of boredom and of wonder. Adults may find the language a bit flat, with a few exceptions (such as the pages about music and dreams), but any shortcomings in the text are overshadowed by the vivid, clever illustrations. The colorful pictures emphasize the child's point of view and bring the city and its diverse inhabitants to life as readers accompany the family throughout its day. A visually splendid treat for all ages.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

A family day out in a city that evokes New York is narrated by a light-brown-skinned child who spends the story's first panels waiting impatiently for their parents to wake up: "Good morning? NOT YET." But after Mama, portrayed with brown skin, and pale Papa shower together and have coffee, exchanging a sweet smile, they're ready to "look and see." The day is filled with perceptions, observations, and contrasting elements: "Look up there! A big bird is hovering high above a column.// See down here! Tiny birds are pecking below a fire hydrant." Paneled illustrations in gouache with pencil and liquid ink offer a wealth of visual information: architectural details, folk-art-like figures--even an overflowing city waste-basket is beautiful in the eyes of Caldecott Honoree Lobel. Often, the three protagonists appear gathered affectionately in the book's margins, remarking on what is shown in a panel; other pages picture them in the background. At last, they wait for the train underground, then cross a recognizable bridge under a crescent moon. The metropolitan setting presents an ever-changing kaleidoscope of sensations; amid them, it's enough for the trio to be together, seeing and taking pleasure in what's there, in this rich, warm journey from morning to night. Ages 4--8. (Feb.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A family takes readers along as they spend a day exploring a city together. A child with light-brown skin awakens one morning to find that Mama and Papa are still asleep. It's a dull start to the day, but luckily things improve. Mama, who has brown skin, and Papa, who has lighter skin, snuggle and say "Good morning" to each other in bed before showering together. Then the trio venture out to walk through their city. While setting is not definitive, various cues in the gouache pencil, pencil, and liquid ink illustrations--the French flag, a toy-store sign with the surname Laurent, and another sign in French--suggest a Francophone locale. The striking layout positions the main characters in the white margins of the page as they exclaim over the sights they see. This design choice aligns readers with them as they blur the line between their world in the book and ours outside. Meanwhile, key adjectives in the text are printed in big, colorful type to highlight their function as opposites. For example, two facing pages read, "Hush! Don't disturb the old people dozing. Ssh! Don't wake the new baby snoozing." Together, words and pictures combine to offer readers multiple entry points for engagement. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A magnifique read celebrating delight in observation. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.