The talent of Cooper in showing the moon rise and shadows created by street and window lights is impressive. The watercolor and pencil illustrations are a highlight, in Coopers trademark style. The text is describes the neighborhood in terms of the senses as oak leaves blow in the wind, chattering squirrels chase each other, birds wings flutter, the smell of apple pie wafts along, screen doors slam and lawn mowers roar. When the child and parent turn to walk back home, the apple pie is down from the windowsill, the leaves are raked up, and the postman has picked up the mail. As the walk begins, the squirrels are in the yards, the boys are mowing lawns, a neighbor is baking a pie, and someone is mailing a letter.
It is also a beautiful reminder to notice and appreciate what goes in our backyard.Ī Good Night Walk by Elisha Cooper presents a walk taken by a child and parent down the block to the bay and back as evening falls upon their neighborhood. It challenges the reader and listener to notice finite details that we often overlook. I recommend this book specifically to children ages 3-6, and think it makes a great bedtime read-aloud. The tone of this book is very relaxed and could easily set the mood for a peaceful night's sleep. With that being said, I appreciate the pace of this book as it strays from the typical children's book with overwhelming characters who face giant obstacles. However, I can easily see this book boring children, especially mid-elementary aged children, as it is slow and subtle with its action. Personally, I enjoyed this book since I am one who favors linear plot lines and stories of progression. The book branches on topics of bedtime, community, and perhaps most significantly, the things that often go unnoticed. At the end of the book, the adult and child pass by the same houses on their way home, only to notice things outside have changed. After each scene, the illustrator pictures the house that the family just passed and looks ahead to the houses in the future. During this walk, the unseen adult and child notice details about each house they pass along their way such as the smell of apple pie from inside a kitchen, the intensity of the sky in the night, and a black cat who rests in the shade.
A Good Night Walk by Elisha Cooper takes the reader and listener on a journey through the neighborhood on a night walk before bedtime.
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