Jal Jayo, Buona notte, Spokoynoy nochi – how do you say goodnight in your language?
Goodnight World is a beautifully illustrated, bedtime picture book which looks at the preparations that children make as they get ready for bed and tells readers how people in various countries say goodnight.
Goodnight World takes us through a child’s bedtime routine while introducing us to ‘goodnight’ in eleven different languages. Bathtime, cleaning teeth, tidying toys and having a bedtime story are described through a soothing rhyming text.
Children of all nationalities and all ages are shown getting ready for bed, two girls are even getting ready to sleep in their tent. Tired trains and teddies are tidied away, phonecalls from loved ones are taken and parents and carers say goodnight.
Each spread introduces a different translation for the word goodnight with a guide to pronunciation. Languages include Russian, German, Swahili, French and Mandarin.
We love Hannah Tolson’s illustrations with their soothing pastels and creamy backgrounds. Characters include siblings, children with glasses, a girl in a wheelchair and a mum calling home from a business trip, the book is a true celebration of diverse characters. From babies up to a mum who sits in bed with her children to read bedtime stories, they are characters that children can easily identify with.
Our favourite illustrations are the night time spreads, we love the picture of a father (or an uncle maybe) saying goodnight to two sisters in their tent. The final spread gives us a glimpse into the windows of several houses, wherever they are the children are sleeping, bathing and reading under the same stars.
Goodnight World would make a great addition to a primary school classroom and library. It can encourage children to talk about how they say goodnight in their own languages as well as stimulate them to teach their friends other greetings from their native language.
In Germany we say Gute Nacht. We’d love to hear how you say goodnight in your language. Please tell us in the comments.
Author: Nicola Edwards / Illustrator: Hannah Tolson
Thank you to Little Tiger Press for our review copy of this gorgeous book which is published on June 19th.
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